PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (Yonhap) ― It seems to be an unlikely scenario after South Korea was thoroughly defeated by Algeria 4-2 on Sunday at the FIFA World Cup, but the Asian side still has a fighting chance to reach the knockout stage.
An earlier 1-1 draw with Russia and the loss Sunday leave South Korea with one point, last among the four teams in Group H. South Korea will face Belgium in its must-win finale on Thursday in Sao Paulo.
Belgium already qualified for the knockout stage with a 1-0 win over Russia earlier on Sunday. With six points in the bag, Belgian coach Marc Wilmots said he could rest some players with yellow cards in the finale.
Even if South Korea upsets Belgium, it will be eliminated if Algeria beats Russia.
If both South Korea and Russia win their final matches, they will be tied at four points and will go to a tiebreaker.
The first tiebreaker is goal difference. Russia has a slight edge over South Korea, minus-1 to minus-2. In case of a South Korean win and a draw between Algeria and Russia, then South Korea and Algeria will go to a tiebreaker, which is even at four points.