Cha Du-Ri helps South Korea to win against New Zealand in a nail biting finish. (Photo : REUTERS/TIM WIMBORNE)
South Korea has defeated New Zealand with a late night stunner produced by Lee Jae-sung. The friendly football match marked the end of the glory of the great German born South Korean footballer Cha Du-Ri.
The match started at eight in the night in the Seoul World Cup stadium, South Korea which was filled with an amazing cheerful crowd who had come to bid farewell to the amazing legend.
The first-half was full of action and thrill. Both teams tried their best to score but they were unable to do so. The visiting keeper had a tough time protecting the goal throughout the match, reported by Sportal.
In the late first-half the referee awarded the home team with a penalty which was saved by the New Zealand keeper Stefan Marinovic. Nothing seemed to be going right for the Korean team who were missing the goal despite of several set pieces.
The New Zealand captain Chris Wood was really unlucky to see his strike for the goal being declared as a foul. The 34 year legend Cha Du-Ri was given a rousing stand-off in the end of the first half with a video which paid tribute to the legend's career.
Cha gave an emotional speech on the pitch during the interval. The second half was much more attacking as imagined. Both teams were trying their best although South Korea had the upper hand.
Stefan Marinovic told One News, "I'm a proud New Zealander & to have the chance to play for your country is a great honour for me."
When everything seemed to be going nowhere Lee Jae-Sung converted a rebound from the initial efforts of Kim Bo-Kyung's. The New Zealand debut keeper sadly couldn't keep a clean on his first international friendly.
