South Korea midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon. (Photo : Getty Images)
Group C leaders South Korea and Group D survivors Honduras face each other at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte on August 13, Saturday for a quarterfinal encounter in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics men's football tournament.
South Korea opened the Games with a dazzling 8-0 win over lowly Fiji before holding tournament favorite Germany to a 3-3 draw in the second round of group matches.
However, the Taegeuk Warriors' biggest game so far in the Games was their 1-0 third round win over defending Olympic champions Mexico at the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasília on Wednesday, which catapulted them to the last eight while at the same time eliminating the Mexicans from active competition, SB Nation reported.
Suwon Bluewings attacking midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon scored the winning goal of the contest, his third in three games in the tournament, at the 73rd minute in a hard-fought match between two tough teams.
It was a disappointment for Mexico, though, as the previous gold medal winners will end up with nothing in this summer's edition.
Meanwhile, Honduras finished the group stage at the second spot in the Group D table with Portugal grabbing the top seat.
La Bicolor Olimpica was an underdog in pre-Olympic predictions, forecasted to finish third behind Portugal and Argentina in the said group.
However, head coach Jorge Luis Pinto's squad proved the odds wrong by holding on to a 1-1 draw with Argentina in their final round group stage match at the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha also on Wednesday, as per Goal.
After a goalless 75 minutes of play, striker Anthony Lozano was able to successfully make a spot kick to finally break the deadlock and give the lead to Honduras.
The Albicelestes tried hard to fight back because they need a win to advance in the quarters, but a single goal from Mauricio Martinez was all they could come up with.
The two national squads ended up tied in the group standings, but Honduras' superior goal difference made them advance in the knockout stages.
The predicted result is a 3-1 rout for South Korea.
South Korea starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Gu; Lee S.C., Jang, Jung, Sim; Park, Lee C.M.; Son, Kwon, Ryu; Hwang
Honduras starting lineup (5-4-1 formation): Lopez; Ramirez, Pereira, Vargas, Paz, Garcia; Elis, Banegas, Acosta, Quioto; Lozano
