South Korea will meet Brazil in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games after beating Great Britain 5-4 on penalties, after a 1-1 draw at the Millennium Stadium.
GettyImagesSouth Korea celebrate after winning the penalty shootout against Great Britain
It was the Koreans who started the game the better, and took the lead in the 29th minute when Sunderland striker Ji Dong-Won beat Jack Butland, though the goalkeeper will feel he should have done better.
Great Britain were level in the 36th minute when Aaron Ramsey scored from the spot following a handball in the box. And there was another penalty to the host nation just three minutes later when Daniel Sturridge was brought down – but this time Ramsey’s poor spot-kick was easily saved by Jung Sung-Ryong
There was no way through for either side through the rest of the 90 minutes or extra-time so it came back to the penalty spot, and Sturridge was the only man to miss as he stuttered his run and saw the ninth kick of the shootout saved by substitute keeper Lee Bum-Young.
Brazil are through to the semi-finals of the Olympic Games football tournament after twice coming from behind to beat Honduras 3-2 at St James’ Park.
Mario Martinez stunned the red hot tournament favourites when he fired Honduras in front after 13 minutes, but they were reduced to ten men just after the half hour when Wilmer Crisanto received two yellow cards in the space of one minute.
When Leandro Damiao equalised five minutes later few would have bet against Brazil going on to secure victory, but Roger Espinoza put the ten-men back in front shortly after the restart. The lead didn’t last long this time as Brazil were awarded a penalty within two minutes and Neymar blasted home.
Damiao then scored his second of the game on the hour and there was no way back for Honduras, who had Espinoza sent off for a second bookable offence in stoppage time.
Japan booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2012 Olympics with a comfortable 3-0 win over Egypt at Old Trafford.
Kensuke Nagai, Maya Yoshida and Yuki Otsu were all on target for the Japanese, while Saad Saadeldin was sent off in the first half for Egypt.
Nagai opened the scoring on 14 minutes as he took advantage of a defensive mix-up, before Saad was handed his marching orders for a professional foul.
Yoshida doubled Japan’s lead after the break and Otsu’s header sealed a 3-0 triumph for Japan, who will play Mexico in the last four after their match with Senegal went to extra-time before they wrapped up a 4-2 victory at Wembley.
Jorge Enriquez Garcia broke the deadlock on ten minutes, yet the second goal of the game did not come until the hour mark when Javier Aquino Carmona struck to make it 2-0.
But Senegal rallied late on to force the game beyond normal time after the free-scoring Moussa Konate and Ibrahima Balde netted to restore parity.
Mexico, though, had the cutting edge in extra time as Giovani Dos Santos and then Hector Herrera Rubio, via a calamitous mix up, sealed their 4-2 win.
