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[Score Update – Germany 1: 0 South Korea]
South Korea stood frozen, some players with hands on hips, others glancing up at the scoreboard as it flashed the updated tally. For the first time in the match, the Korean backline looked genuinely rattled—exhausted not just physically, but emotionally, after an unrelenting 25 minutes of defending.
Choi Jun bent down, hands on his knees, shaking his head. Lee Gwang-yeon stared up at the crossbar for a moment, then clapped his gloves together, shouting encouragement to his defenders in an attempt to rally their spirits. Even he, the wall for forty minutes, knew momentum had tilted.
"Conceding after putting in so much effort to hold their opponents at bay must sting," Stewart noted grimly, "that's the kind of punch that doesn't just hurt the scoreboard—it can shake confidence."
the match resumed slowly with neither of the two sides forcing a hasty attack. Germany wanted to maintain the status quo and focused on stabilising things. Korea, on the other hand, used the time to regain their form and look for a way forward as they slowly started gaining more possession of the ball.
They strung together a series of clean passes, working it from Kim Jung-min to Hong Hyun-seok, then out wide to Eom Won-sang. It was in the 31st minute that they managed to launch their first real attack when Eom Won-sang decided to put his dribbling boots on. The winger skipped past Katterbach with a sharp burst of pace, cutting inside toward the edge of the box.
Suddenly, a flicker of danger arose on the pitch and the viewers tensed in anticipation, subconsciously sliding to the edge of their seats. Eom Won-sang didn't shoot as Malik Talabidi closed him down but instead chose to square a pass across the face of the 18-yard box into the feet of Jeong Woo-yeong, who was cutting inward. The Korean left winger turned the moment he received the ball, avoiding Stiller's tackle as he quickly slipped the ball into the box for Oh Se-hun.
"Oh Se-hun!" Paul Gartner loudly exclaimed as the striker's first touch was a piece of beauty instantly killing the balls momentum with his left foot as he held off Bella-Kotchap.
He turned into space with his back to the goal, rounding Bella-Kotchap who was forced to quickly adjust. But rather than shoot, he flicked it back out to the top of the arc—where Lee Kang-in arrived at full sprint. "Kang-in with a chance to answer back!" Gartner shouted, rising from his seat in the commentary booth.
Lee Kang-in unleashed a blistering strike with his left foot, slicing through the ball with technique and power. The shot dipped violently through the air, arrowing toward the bottom left corner. Olschowsky, who had been largely quiet since his first save, sprang to life—diving low, one hand outstretched.
He got a hand to it, but he wasn't able to trap it, but it was enough to send it wide clipping the outside of the post before spinning out for a corner. The Korean fans groaned and applauded all at once—a sigh of near-glory. "Olschowsky matches brilliance with brilliance!" Paul Gartner declared. "You've got to admire that build-up. That was their sharpest move of the half—fluid, composed, and dangerous."
The resulting corner was taken by Lee Kang-in himself, his left boot curling the ball with venom toward the near post. Kim Hyun-woo surged forward to meet it, but Armel Bella-Kotchap rose higher, powerfully heading it clear. The second ball was recovered by Kim Jung-min outside the box, who volleyed it first-time back toward the goal, only for his effort to cannon off Malik Talabidi's chest and bounce safely into Olschowsky's gloves.
Germany slowed things down again, choosing to possess the ball and pull Korea across the pitch. They moved the ball with precision and intention: Aidonis to Stiller, Stiller to Wirtz, Wirtz to Rakim. Both wingers had now taken up a slightly more central role, drifting inward to force defensive confusion.
Their formation changed from the 4-3-3 to a more defensive 4-1-4-1, allowing the wingers to get more involved in the nitty-gritty of the build-up play. South Korea had clearly adjusted slightly, assigning Hong Hyun-Seok to shadow Rakim more aggressively whenever he touched the ball. They were unwilling to let Choi Jun face the electric winger alone after he had proven that he could easily breeze past the right back.
The match continued at a simmer, the pace dropping just slightly as fatigue began to creep into legs that had sprinted, pressed, and twisted for nearly an entire half. But inside the tactical lull was an unspoken tension—like a spring coiling tighter. Germany were in control, but South Korea had rediscovered their shape and were pressing higher, looking to turn one mistake into an equalizer.
Inside the centre circle, Angelo Stiller calmly evaded a high press from Lee Kang-in with a slick first-touch pass to Wirtz. The Leverkusen midfielder immediately switched the ball diagonally, sending it skimming toward the left flank—right into Rakim's stride. "Here he comes again," Paul Gartner warned, as Rakim cushioned the ball with his instep and surged down the wing, shrugging off a tired lunge from Choi Jun.
Hong Hyun-Seok scrambled over to help, but Rakim slowed as he reached the edge of the box. He turned inward, dancing just outside the 18-yard line, shifting the ball between both feet. The crowd leaned in. He suddenly dropped his left shoulder, sold a fake shot, and then launched a filthy elastico that left Hong flat-footed. Kim Jung-min slid over to cover, but Rakim already threaded a pass inside to Moukoko, who had checked into the half-space and spun in one motion.
Moukoko backheeled the ball, squaring the ball across the box to Leweling, who was charging in from the opposite flank. Leweling hit it first time just a yard ahead of Hwang Tae-hyeon, who was chasing him. But once again, Lee Gwang-yeon flung himself across his line—catlike and fearless—tipping the ball just wide with his fingertips.
"Gwang-yeon again!" Stewart shouted. "You could write an epic about this kid's saves alone!" Germany earned a corner, and Rakim jogged over to take it, sweat running down his face, chest rising and falling from the effort.
He whipped it in sharply with his left foot. The ball dipped violently toward the penalty spot. Bella-Kotchap and Kim Hyun-woo rose together, bodies colliding midair. The ball was met, but only partially cleared. It fell outside the box, floating straight to Florian Wirtz, and the midfielder didn't hesitate—he swung through the dropping ball with full force.
A laser. A rocket. A venomous half-volley that screamed toward the top corner. But it was Lee Gwang-yeon again—leaping at full stretch, hand punching it up against the bar. The ball struck the underside and bounced straight down. It hit the line, but the German fans jumped up in joy, celebrating a goal as an avalanche of cheers rained down.
Then it bounced out, Moukoko reacted first, but he was met by Lee Jae-ik, who went to the ground, blocking the second attempt with his body. The ball was deflected out for a goal kick as it rebounded off Jamie's shin, but still the fans were calling for a goal. Seeing this, the Korean players and fans were quick to call for a VAR check, unwilling to accept the goal.
It took a couple of moments for the chaos to calm down as players surrounded the referee, seemingly unwilling to let him leave without hearing them out. Eventually, the referee managed to calm them down and decided to check with his VAR team to see what they had to say. He had been standing at a weird angle and hadn't fully seen the ball land, and his linesman was unsure and habitually called it a goal.
After heading to the side of the field as he watched the plays replay a few times from a different angle until finally coming to a clear decision. Blowing his whistle, as he re-entered the pitch, he pointed to the box, motioning for a goal kick, much to the joy of the Korean contingent.
"No goal!" Gartner gasped. "It didn't cross!"