South Korea 2-4 Algeria: Africans get hope of last 16

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Slimani, Halliche and Djabou fire Algeria 3-0 up at half-time
Son Heung-min with consolation for South Korea at start of second half
Brahimi seals the win with a fourth after 62 minutes in Porto Alegre
Koo Ja-cheol ensures a nervy finish with a goal after 72 minutes
Result leaves Algeria second in Group H, with South Korea bottom
First time an African team have scored four goals in a World Cup match

Published: 16:51 EDT, 22 June 2014 | Updated: 13:49 EDT, 23 June 2014

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Algeria added their name to the list of beguiling stories at this World Cup by defeating South Korea in a meandering match and moving to the brink of the knock-out rounds for the first time in their history.

Islam Slimani, Rafik Halliche, and Abdelmoumene Djabou each struck in 12 first-half minutes to sweep away their stereotype as a team set out to stifle.

Son Heung-Min claimed a goal back early in the second half to wobble the Africans but Yacine Brahimi replied and Vahid Halilhodzi’s side held on to go second behind Belgium in Group H.

VIDEO Algeria on verge of first knockout stage appearance

Clinical: Algeria's Islam Slimani runs past South Korea's Young-gwon after opening the scoring

Adoration: Algeria players celebrate in front of their fans after their 4-2 Group H victory over South Korea

Joy: Slimani runs over to celebrate with his team-mates on the bench after the first goal in 4-2 win

Bullet: Algeria's Rafik Halliche jumps in front of South Korea keeper Jung Sung-ryong to head in a second

Treble: Algeria's Abdelmoumene Djabou turns to celebrate after scoring their third goal

Placed: Yacine Brahimi (centre) slots the ball into the bottom corner to put Algeria 4-1 up

Consolation: Son Heung-min gave South Korea hope when he scored early in the second half

Poacher: South Korea's Koo Ja-Cheol pokes home to make it 4-2 against Algeria in Group H

VIDEO Team Profile: Algeria

SOUTH KOREA vs ALGERIA STATS

Algeria ended a run of seven World Cup matches without a win.
Algeria scored more goals in this match than they did in their preceding seven World Cup matches combined.
There were more goals in this game than in Algeria's previous four World Cup matches combined (5).
Algeria scored with four of their 15 shots on goal (including blocked shots); they managed three shots in total against Belgium (inc. blocked).
20 of the 23 shots in this game came from inside the penalty area.
South Korea have won one of their last seven World Cup group games.
Rafik Halliche completed 31 first-half passes in this match, more than any Algeria player managed in total against Belgium.
24 of South Korea’s 31 World Cup goals have come after half-time (including one extra-time goal).
The last eight World Cup goals conceded by Algeria have come after half-time.
Algeria became the first African team to score four or more goals in a World Cup match.
South Korea have conceded 11 goals in their last four World Cup matches – they conceded six in their preceding eight.
Of teams playing in this tournament, only Germany’s games in all World Cups have produced a higher average number of goals than South Korea’s 3.23.

MATCH FACTS

South Korea 4-4-2: S R Jung 3.5; Y Lee 5.5, Y G Kim 3, J H Hong 3, S Y Yun 5.5; S Y Ki 6.5, J C Koo 6, K Y Han 6 (D W Ji 78’ 6), C Y Lee 6 (K H Lee 64’ 6.5); H M Son 8, C Y Park 6 (S W

Kim 57’ 6.5)
Coach: Hong Myung-bo 6

Goals: H M Son '50, J C Koo '72

Algeria 4-2-3-1: M’Bolhi 7; Mandi 6.5, Halliche 7, Bougherra 5.5 (Belkalem 89’), Mesbah 6; Medjani 6.5, Bentaleb 6; Djabou 7.5 (Ghilas 73’ 6), Brahimi 8.5 (Lacen 77’ 6), Feghouli 7; Silmani 8

Coach: Vahid Halilhodzi 8

Goals: Slimani '26, Halliche '28, Djabou '38, Brahimi '62

Man of the Match: Brahimi

The 61-year-old Bosnian has done much to alter the dour style of Algeria’s play since the 2010 World Cup, which saw them fail to score including an awful 0-0 draw with England.

Algeria had mustered just two goals in 11 hours and 25 minutes of World Cup football before kick-off but in qualifying for Brazil were only outscored in their continent by Ghana, Ivory Coast and Egypt.

They blitzed their opponents in chilly Porte Alegre with attacks of pace and fluidity. They also disturbed Korea with long balls and occasional physicality. The Asians’ defending was pretty abysmal too.

Slimani got the first in the 26th minute, powering in between centre-backs Hong Jeong-ho and Kim Young-gwon to collect a long ball forward by Carkl Medjani and apply a finish beyond Jung Sung-ryong.

Just one minute and 55 seconds later it was 2-0. Djabou swung over a corner that Jung thought he could claim but former Fulham defender Halliche arrived first to drive a header into the unguarded net. The Korean goalkeeper was poor in the game against Russia and could be replaced when Belgium come calling.

More comical defending arrived soon after when Hong and Kim got in each others’ way as they attempted to clear a long ball, only succeeding in allowing it to fall to Slimani, who squared to Djabou to sweep in.

Korea manager Hong Myung-bo, veteran of the 2002 team which made the semi-finals, must have said something to rouse his players at the break because they were much improved in the second half.

Hug: Brahimi (centre) celebrates with his team-mates during the win over South Korea in Porto Alegre

Jump for joy: Halliche leaps and punches the air after putting Algeria 2-0 up against South Korea

Ecstasy: Brahimi (right) runs to the corner and is followed by team-mates after scoring the fourth

High five: South Korea midfielder Son (left) celebrates with Koo (right) after scoring his side's first goal

Madjid Bougherra’s inability to deal with a high ball allowed Son to whip a finish in between the legs of Rais M’Bolhi five minutes after the interval and Korea looked like they might make a comeback when a quick free-kick by Park Chu-young had to be headed off the line by Aissa Mandi.

M’Bohli then produced a marvellous one-handed save to deny Swansea’s Kim Sung-yueng a ferocious, swerving goal from 30 yards that was heading for the top corner.

But Brahami dispelled Algerian fears three minutes after the hour by finishing off a neat move that involved a slick exchange of passes with Djabou.

Koo Ja-Cheoi tapped in from Lee Keun-ho’s cross with 18 minutes left to reduce the deficit to two once more but it was in vain.

Algeria will progress to the last-16 for the first time in their history with a draw in their final game against Russia and would play the runners-up from the group containing Germany, USA, Ghana and Portugal.

Sadness and joy: Algeria players celebrate (right) as Sofiane Feghouli (left) consoles Son (centre)

Devastation: South Korea's Son slaps the ground in frustration after his side's 4-2 loss to Algeria

To put that achievement in context, this is Algeria’s fourth appearance at World Cup finals and they have just two previous wins to their name.

Those both came in 1982 when they were denied progress to the knock-out phase by an outrageous bit of gamesmanship from West Germany and Austia in playing out a result that ensured they both progressed at the expense of the north Africans.

Algeria exacting revenge on Germany 32 years later would usually be the stuff of fantasy. But, as we have seen, anything is possible in Brazil.