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The referee's whistle pierced the noise. Lee Kang-in took a deep breath, adjusted his stance, and began his run-up. Instead of lofting a delivery into the melee, he went for the goal directly.
With a clean strike from his left foot, he wrapped it around the outside of the wall. The ball curved viciously through the air, dipping as it flew toward the top-left corner. Jan Olschowsky, whose view was partially obstructed, reacted a moment too late. He dove full stretch, fingertips grazing air, but the ball was already past him. It struck the underside of the crossbar with a thunderous clank and bounced down—this time clearly over the line before spinning back up into the netting.
"GOAL! Lee Kang-in! Outrageous technique!" Stewart shouted; his voice lifted by the roar from the Korean supporters. "He sought glory and was rewarded for his daring attempt."
[GOAL – Germany 2:1 South Korea | 79' – Lee Kang-in]
Park Jeong-in was the first to reach Kang-in, wrapping his arms around the midfielder as the rest of the Korean squad piled in. The coaching staff along the sideline clapped furiously, urging their players back into position. There was no time to bask in it. There was still a game to be chased.
"That single goal has breathed life back into the Koreans' side chances to turn this game on its nose," Gartner added. "Lee Kang-in just cracked the match wide open again, time is not on their side though, and if they want a chance at a comeback, it will have to be now."
The Germans restarted the match only moments later, intending to slow things down and hold onto their lead. Since they were already ahead, there was no need to take the risk of forcing attacks that would leave them outnumbered on the opposing counter. Just because they weren't willing to attack did not mean their opponents were willing to just sit back and await their inevitable loss.
South Korea, invigorated by Kang-in's goal, pressed higher up the pitch. Their midfield trio pushed tighter together, squeezing passing lanes and forcing Germany to play sideways. Malik Tillman dropped deeper to help maintain possession, but Korea's momentum was at an all-time high since the start of the match.
Every touch from a German boot drew a red shirt rushing in, harrying and swarming. Lee Kang-in became his team's heartbeat once they managed to intercept a careless pass from Talabidi near midfield. Spinning out of traffic, he offloaded to Song Min-kyu, who had taken up a more central role. Song played a one-two with Jeong Woo-yeong to open up the right channel, and suddenly Korea had numbers advancing.
Jeong Woo-yeong slipped a pass toward the edge of the box where Park Jeong-in peeled away from Bella-Kotchap. The striker turned and fired quickly, aiming for the near post, but Olschowsky read the strike and got down fast, parrying it wide with both hands. "Parkkk!" Gartner exclaimed the moment the striker fired the shot, but it was not meant to be.
From the ensuing corner, Lee Kang-in whipped in a dangerous ball that curled in toward the near post. Kim Hyun-woo made the run again, leaping above Stiller, but his glancing header flew just over the bar. The German bench began to stir in response—assistant coaches barking instructions, substitutes standing with vests half-off. Head coach Baum signalled for a change.
The fourth official raised his board, and a red 22 appeared. Rakim, one of Germany's goal scorers, was being withdrawn to a chorus of applause from the German fans and mixed reactions from the Korean end. Slowly jogging over to the sidelines, he clapped his hands, thanking their fans and wasting as much time as possible.
High fiving Yannik Engelhardt who was replacing him, he quickly took his seat on the bench eagerly awaiting the end of the match. Yannik obviously came on to bolster the midfield, but that alone did not stop the Korean contingent from launching their waves of attacks. The ball hardly stood still as it was either in motion or being struck towards goal from every possible angle, no matter how slim the Korean players were shooting on sight.
Germany, sensing the increasing pressure from the Korean attacks, adapted their shape into a tighter 4-5-1. With Engelhardt now in midfield, they aimed to close down space effectively and keep play away from their box. At this stage, each German clearance elicited cheers from their supporters, while the Korean fans urged their team to push even harder.
South Korea, meanwhile, maintained a high press. Lee Kang-in, conducting the midfield, drifted into pockets of space, always looking to open up the German shape. Jeong Woo-yeong and Song Min-kyu interchanged flanks regularly, hoping to unsettle Germany's defensive structure.
The Koreans nearly found a breakthrough down the left side. Jeong Woo-yeong slipped past his marker on the overlap, receiving a diagonal pass from Kang-in. He drove a low cross into the six-yard box, where Park Jeong-in lunged in front of his defender. The ball brushed the tip of his boot and skidded just wide of the far post, prompting a collective groan from the Korean supporters.
Germany restarted quickly, but Korea's pressure forced another hurried clearance. With time running low, the match settled into a pattern: Korea circulated the ball around Germany's penalty area, and Germany picked the right moments to step forward and make crucial interceptions.
With the clock edging toward full time, the atmosphere in Motor Lublin Arena crackled with tension. Kang-in threaded a vertical pass to Song Min-kyu, who found space behind Aidonis. Song drove into the box; instead of squaring the ball across the box, he continued dribbling forward, forcing Olschowsky off his line.
Adonis chased from behind and Malik Talabidi worked to close down the angle as he also held his ground. Song wasn't intimidated, though, as the moment he reached the 6-yard box, he feinted left, forcing Jan to mirror his actions with his arms spread wide. Song though swung his right foot, warping it around the ball and lifting it high towards the far post with a light dink.
"Song Min-kyu with a dream-like touch," Gartner exclaimed, directly jumping off his chair as he watched the ball float above Jan's desperate arms. Malik tried to lunge headfirst to head it away, but was too late and fell into the net.
The Korean fans in attendance were already on their feet watching with bated breath as the ball dropped towards the goal. However, as it looked like it was supposed to be a white figure with the number five jumped feet first. With an overhead kick, he swung his boot with power, catapulting the ball out of the box.
"Armel Bella-Kotchap!!!," Stewart exclaimed the moment the defender's boot impacted the ball, just as the German fans in attendance jumped up in joy. They had seen their ticket for the finals slip away, so seeing Armel perform heroics on the line, all their pent-up emotions exploded in joy.
The ball rebounded into the open space, just in front of the box where Wirts could be seen waiting for it to descend. Just as the ball was about to reach him, one of his teammates exclaimed, "Man on," but it was too late. The red figure of Kang-In wearing the Korean number 10 jumped ahead of him from behind.
Chesting the ball down, he swung his foot aiming to hit the ball on the volley, but it dropped too steeply. Before his foot could hit the ball it had bounced back up from the ground, creating a powerful but aimless bounce shot. Malik craned his neck just in time to watch it sail into the stands.
As soon as the ball soared into the stands, several Korean players raised their arms in protest. They sprinted toward the referee, insisting that Bella-Kotchap's overhead clearance had occurred after the ball had fully crossed the line. Shouts of disbelief echoed around the stadium as the visitors demanded a closer look.
The Germans for their part, waved off their complaints, simply stating that these kinds of saves were basic for their defenders. A shouting match quickly ensued as both sides vehemently believed they were in the right. The players on their part were calmer as they waited for the referee to make his decision.
The referee, surrounded by animated Korean players, briefly consulted his linesman. The linesman shook his head, offering no definitive signal. With the dispute growing louder, the referee signalled for a VAR review, pressing a finger to his earpiece. Tension rippled through Motor Lublin Arena as the giant screens switched to slow-motion replays from multiple angles, focusing on the split-second moment of Bella-Kotchap's clearance.
One angle showed the ball seemingly on the verge of crossing, but from another view, it appeared that at least part of the ball remained above the line. Both sets of supporters watched in silence, hearts pounding, each replay prompting fresh bursts of either hope or relief.
Players on the pitch stood in clusters, anxious for resolution. The referee stood near the sideline, listening intently to the VAR booth. Finally, he returned to the centre circle, took one more glance at his watch, and spread his arms decisively. No goal.
He pointed to the six-yard box, indicating a goal kick, confirming the decision. A mixture of celebration and frustration swept through the crowd: German fans let out a roar of gratitude and Korean supporters sank back in despair.
The referee motioned for play to resume, and Olschowsky hurriedly placed the ball for the restart, looking to relieve the lingering tension. Germany's goal kick soared beyond midfield, eating precious seconds off the clock. Kang-in lunged to nod it back into German territory, but the final whistle resounded the next moment, ending this semi-final clash.