Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Ras Al Khaimah: Korea Republic won the AFC U-19 Championship 2012 title with a 4-1 penalty shootout victory over Iraq on Saturday with the grand finale needing to be settled by spot-kicks with the two sides locked at 1-1 after extra time.
Mohanad Abdulraheem broke the deadlock at the Emirates Club Stadium and just as it was looking like the tournament MVP's goal would be enough to seal the title for Iraq, Moon Chang-jin levelled for the Koreans three minutes into second-half stoppage time to take the match into extra-time.
Neither side could conjure up the decisive goal in the additional 30 minutes sending the match into penalties and it was the Koreans that held their nerve with Sim Sang-min, Woo Ju-sung, Kim Sun-woo and Ryu Seung-woo all converting their spot-kicks while only Ahmed Abbas could find the target for Iraq as AFC Acting President Zhang Jilong presented Korea Republic with their 12th AFC U-19 Championship trophy.
The opening exchanges of the first-half were an evenly-fought affair with Abdulraheem picking out the unmarked Ahmed Abbas whose thunderous shot was saved by Korean keeper Lee Chang-guen before his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Hameed denied an 18th minute long-range effort from Moon and a weak Woo header five minutes later.
Iraq broke the deadlock in the 35th minute with an incisive counter-attacking move that saw Ammar Abdulhussein find Abdulraheem, who expertly controlled the ball before firing it in the right side of Lee's goal for his fifth of the campaign.
The East Asians fought hard to keep their hopes of extending their AFC U-19 Championship record alive but were kept at bay by a well-marshalled Iraq defence until Moon struck virtually at the death, with the Korean playmaker collecting a hopeful lob forward from second-half substitute Oh Yeong-jun and shooting past Hameed to force extra-time.
Neither side could take the initiative in the two extra 15 minute periods as the destination of the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship trophy coming down to penalties and while the confident Koreans converted all four of their spot-kicks only Abbas could score for the Iraqis, with Abdulraheem's impressive tournament ending on a low note when Lee saved his penalty before Saif Salman fired wide of the target.