Fahad Al Johani knocked in the winner in extra time as Saudi Arabia defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 to qualify for the semifinals and earn a trip to Colombia along with the three other teams to make the last four of the U-19 event namely North Korea, South Korea and Australia.
North Korea was the first to qualify with a 2-0 victory over China in the quarterfinal match at Zibo Sports Center in Zibo, China, as Jong Il-gwan and Pak Song-choi struck for two second half goals.
After a goalless first half, Jong broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when he burst clear and beat goalkeeper Yan Juning with a low finish. Pak then doubled the lead two minutes later when the forward ran at the China defense before drilling a shot into the back of the net.
In a simultaneous match at Linzi Stadium in Linzi District, Shandong, China, South Korea rallied from two goals down to beat Japan 3-2 and progress to the last four of the tournament.
Japan raced into a two-gal lead with Hiroshi Ibusuki first lashing home after 13 minutes before adding a second from the penalty spot on the half-hour mark.
Unfazed, South Korea superbly battled back to take the lead at the break with three goals in less than 15 minutes, with Kim Kyung-jung, Hwang Do-yeon and Jung Seung-yong getting hteir names on the scoresheet.
The turnaround clearly knocked Japan cold and the team rarely looked like battling back in the second half as South Korea maintained its slim lead to the final whistle.
In the second quarterfinal at Zibo Sport Center, Saudi Arabia relied on Al Johani’s goal in the first-half of extra time to end the hopes of Uzbekistan.
Abdulmutallib Abdullajev gave Uzbekistan an early lead but the Saudis went on to dominate the game and hit the woodwork twice before Abdullah Otayf finally equalized in the 83rd minute.
Al Johani then netted the winner five minutes into the first additional period to send his side into the semifinals of the competition.
It took just six minutes for Uzbekistan to take the lead. Pavel Smolyachenko tried to bundle his way through two tackles in the box but the ball broke kindly to Abdullayev and the midfielder lashed home from six yards.
Australia likewise needed extra time to go through with a 4-2 victory over UAE in the second match at Linzi Stadium.
The Young Socceroos had twice taken the lead only for Ahmed Khalil to haul the UAE level each time and take the game to extra time.
But Jan Versleijen’s side responded brilliantly with goals from Matthew Leckie and Matthew Fletcher to send them to the next round of the tournament.
The victory avenged Australia’s 3-0 defeat to the UAE at the semifinal stage of the tournament in Saudi Arabia two years ago.
