AL RAYYAN, Qatar– South Korea and Uruguay were scoreless in the first half of their first Group H match of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Thursday, with the South Americans striking the woodwork in late moments.

South Korea dodged a bullet when Diego Godin’s header, set up by a corner in the 43rd minute, hit the bottom of the left post and rolled away from the goal.
It was the closest either team came to score in a tightly-played opening 45 minutes at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha.

South Korean captain Son Heung-min, still recovering from facial fractures, got the start wearing his now-signature black protective mask.

South Korea had their best look in the 34th minute, with Hwang Ui-jo airmailing a shot on an open chance after Kim Moon-hwan’s low cross found him alone near the penalty mark.

The match’s first shot attempt came off the foot of Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde, whose volley sailed over the net following a long pass from Jose Maria Gimenez.

Ball possession numbers were almost dead even, while Uruguay had four shot attempts to South Korea’s two.

Source: Yonhap News Agency