Uruguay victorious
Suarez scores twice in win over South Korea
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa – Two goals by Luis Suarez helped Uruguay beat South Korea, 2-1, on Saturday to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
The Ajax striker scored in each half to set up a clash between the South Americans and the winner of the other Round of 16 game, Ghana, on Friday.
Uruguay relied on counter-attacks to wear down the South Koreans, who managed only once to breach the South Americans’ well-organized defense before a crowd of 30,600 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
After taking an early lead, Uruguay allowed the Asian team to contend and grab a second-half equalizer before Suarez settled the match with a curling shot 10 minutes from the end.
“We had to pull ourselves together after the equalizer,” Suarez said after the game. “It was a great feeling to score the winning goal. It was a good shot, but a bit lucky.”
Still, South Korea leaves the tournament with its heads high.
“We have a young team with a lot of potential. They learned today what it’s like to play football at the highest level,” said Cha Du Ri.
South Korea almost grabbed a second equalizer three minutes before the end, when substitute Lee Dong Gook fired a weak shot that was parried by Fernando Muslera, allowing captain Diego Lugano to clear.
Uruguay last reached the quarterfinals in 1970.