South Korea vs Portugal Odds & Recap
Son and South Korea Need Victory
⚽South Korea vs Portugal: Game Recap⚽
Results: South Korea 2-1 Portugal
South Korea beat a heavily-rotated Portugal side 2-1 in dramatic fashion to reach the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup. Portugal made six changes from the 2-0 win against Uruguay on Monday but still managed to take an early lead through Ricardo Horta.
It appeared the rest of the half would be a comfortable canter for Portugal, as they would enter the last 16 as winners of Group H. However, against the run of play, South Korea pulled one back later in the first half, when Cristiano Ronaldo’s back teed up Kim Young-Gwon from a corner.
It was a scrappy effort, as Portugal failed to clear a South Korean corner at the near post. The ball hit Ronaldo’s back and broke kindly for Kim, who poked it home.
South Korea desperately needed a goal to stay alive in the tournament in the second half. Still, they could not find a much-needed breakthrough, with Portugal controlling the game’s tempo, or at least most of the affair.
It looked like South Korea’s hero, Son Heung-min, would also have an off day. Yet, dramatically, they stole the game and put themselves on the verge of qualifying for the last 16 after a late finish from Hwang Hee-chan. A South Korean counter-attack saw Son gallop from box to box with the ball at his feet. He slipped a perfectly weighted ball in behind Hwang, who managed to stay onside and slot the ball home.
Thus, despite offering anything to trouble Diogo Costa all game, Paulo Bento’s side had somehow put themselves in the last 16 after a late moment of magic (and some help from Ghana holding off Uruguay from scoring the third goal).
 Korea Republic | – |  Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| 39% | Possession | 61% |
| 13 | Total Shots | 13 |
| 6 | Shots on Target | 6 |
| 3 | Shots Wide | 4 |
| 4 | Shots Blocked | 3 |
| 5 | Saves | 4 |
| 5 | Corners | 4 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 9 | Fouls | 10 |
| 1 | Offsides | 5 |
| 79% | Pass Accuracy | 88% |
| 4 | Dribbles | 8 |
| 13 | Crosses | 18 |
| 11 | Tackles | 12 |
Did We Get It Right?
Below you will find all the predictions we made before the matchup, on November 29, 2022.
Portugal Clinch Knockout Stage Berth
With two wins from their first two matches, Portugal became the third team to clinch a knockout stage berth. If they’re able to get a result vs. South Korea on Friday they’ll also automatically clinch first place in the group. Meanwhile, South Korea desperately need a win and even that might not be enough to go through. A draw or loss would mean a third straight World Cup appearance without a last 16 berth for South Korea. With a whole lot still to play for, we’ll review the South Korea vs Portugal odds and preview the match.
South Korea vs Portugal
Date, time (TV):
Location: Education City Stadium, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
Streaming: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock
Team Standings and Odds:
| Team | FIFA World Ranking | World Cup Qualifying Record | Knockout Stage Odds | Odds to Win World Cup |
| South Korea | 28 | 7-2-1, 2nd AFC Group A | +700 | +1100 |
| Portugal | 9 | 7-2-1, 2nd UEFA Group A | Qualified | +50000 |
| All Meetings: | Teams |
|---|---|
| Jun 2002: | Portugal 0-1 South Korea |
Portugal and South Korea’s only previous match finished in a 1-0 South Korea win. Portugal had two men sent off in that 2002 World Cup match and Park Ji-Sung scored a 70th minute winner. Today FIFA schedule brings a second opportunity to bet on this fixture.
South Korea: Bento Suspended
Standings: 0-1-1, 1 point, 3rd
Previous Match: 2-3 L vs. Ghana, 0-0 D vs. Uruguay
South Korea and Ghana played in a five-goal thriller on Monday. Ghana got off to a flying start and took a two-goal lead in the first half. However, second half substitutions Lee Kang-In and Cho Gue-Sung made a huge difference for Korea straight away. Gue-Sung scored a powerful 58th minute header to get a goal back and added the equalizer just three minutes later. Mohammed Kudus then scored his second goal of the match to give Ghana a 3-2 lead. South Korea besieged Ghana’s box for the rest of the match but couldn’t find another equalizer.
Portuguese South Korea manager Paulo Bento got a red card post-match for arguing with the referees. Anthony Taylor controversially ended the match before South Korea were able to take a corner and Bento was livid. Now, Bento won’t be on the sideline vs. his home country, who he actually managed from 2010 to 2014.
The Group H Qatar World Cup 2022 standings show South Korea in third place, above Uruguay on goal difference. They absolutely need to defeat Portugal to have any chance of advancing here. With nothing to lose, expect South Korea to be aggressive from the getgo in this one. Star player Heung-Min Son has three career World Cup goals but he hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet at Qatar 2022 thus far. Expect him to be at the center of South Korea’s attacks on Friday.
Portugal: Three Potential Starters Doubtful
Standings: 2-0, 6 pts, 1st
Previous Match: 2-0 W vs. Uruguay, 3-2 W vs. Ghana
Portugal’s match vs. Uruguay was one of the most-anticipated matches of the group stage. It lived up to the billing in an incredibly frantic and stretched out second half. Uruguay had the best chance of the first half but Portugal keeper Diogo Costa managed to save Rodrigo Bentancur’s low shot. In the second half, Portugal got the first goal of the match as Bruno Fernandes crossed the ball into the goal untouched. Initially it looked like Cristiano Ronaldo got a head on it but it was ruled as a Bruno Fernandes goal.
Portugal absorbed a wave of Uruguayan pressure and Fernandes got another goal on a controversial penalty call in stoppage time. With their 2-0 win, Portugal sealed qualification to the round of 16 for a second straight World Cup. They can clinch the group vs. South Korea but may have three starters missing. Left back Nuno Mendes came off the pitch vs. Uruguay with an undisclosed injury and looks doubtful. Center back Danilo Pereira and midfielder Otavio also look unlikely to play on Friday.
The South Korea vs Portugal Odds show that Portugal are favorites but this is a potential trap game for them. It’s likely they’ll finish on top of the group even if they lose so there’s not too much incentive to risk their top players getting injured. In response, Fernando Santos could choose to rest some of his key guys in anticipation for the knockout stage. If Portugal win, it would mark the first time since 2006 they finish a World Cup group stage 3-0.
Match Analysis and Odds:
Friday’s South Korea vs Portugal Odds list Portugal as one-goal favorites for this Group H finale. South Korea are implied to be more likely to cover the spread, at -130 odds. Meanwhile, Portugal come in at +110 ATS odds and -155 moneyline odds. If they finish in first place in the group, Portugal will play the Group G runners up, which are likely to be Serbia or Switzerland.
If South Korea fail to win, it’ll be just the second time in their last six World Cup appearances they don’t win a single match. They show +405 moneyline odds and it’ll be difficult with key defender Kim Min-Jae nursing an injury. Forward Hwang Hee-Chan is also likely to miss a third straight match.
Portugal are one of just four teams in the 32-team field to score at least twice in each of their matches. Over 2½ comes in at -115 odds in the group stage finale
Meanwhile, a draw currently sits at +325 odds and it’d be a fine result for Fernando Santos and Portugal. Bruno Fernandes has been Portugal’s best player so far, with two goals and two assists. He’s helped Portugal buck their trend of starting off major tournaments slowly. Portugal are one of just four teams in the 32-team field to score at least twice in each of their matches. Over 2½ comes in at -115 odds in the group stage finale.
