WORLD CUP: Russia came from behind to draw South Korea

Former England coach Fabio Capello saw his
Russia side come from behind to draw with
South Korea in Group H thanks to a goal by
Aleksandr Kerzhakov.
The substitute drove the ball home to join
Vladimir Beschastnykh as Russia's all-time
top scorer with 26 goals.
South Korea had led through a long-range
shot from Lee Keun-ho that squirmed
through the hands of goalkeeper Igor
Akinfeev.
Belgium top the group after their earlier win
over Algeria.
The late excitement in Cuiaba was in stark
contrast to much of what had gone before.
South Korea had been marginally the more
inventive side, although they needed a
significant amount of luck to take the lead
as the edgy Akinfeev gifted them the opening
goal.
But the substitutions by Capello - who led
England to the last 16 in 2010 - proved
crucial for Russia, looking to build a
platform from which to advance to the
knockout stages for the first time since the
Soviet Union reached the second phase in
1986.
Son Heung-min had Korea's best two
chances of the first half, linking well with
Arsenal striker Park Chu-Young on both
occasions. But he failed to hit the target with
either chance, while captain Koo Ja-cheol
saw a deflected shot fly just wide.
Russia had been limited to long-range
efforts, Sergey Ignashevich's free-kick
forcing Jung Sung-ryong into an
unconvincing save.
Neither goalkeeper inspired much
confidence and after Jung had tipped a shot
from Victor Fayzulin over the bar in the first
minute of the second half, captain Vasily
Berezoutski headed into the side netting
from the resulting corner.
The sides then traded speculative shots and
Akinfeev struggled to keep out a free-kick
from Kim Young-Gwon.
But that was nothing compared with the
error he made on 68 minutes, when he
allowed a 25-yard head-height shot from
substitute Lee to slip through his hands and
into the net.
Russia, however, had been showing more
urgency since the introduction of Alan
Dzagoev, and a second Capello substitution
paid off almost immediately.
Kerzhakov, the 31-year-old Zenit St
Petersburg forward and record goalscorer in
Russian domestic football, had been on the
field for just three minutes when he struck to
earn a deserved point on the eve of the
Italian's 68th birthday.
Dzagoev's low shot was well saved but
South Korea could not clear and when the
ball cannoned into Kerzhakov, he showed
the necessary composure to fire home a
right-footed shot from six yards out.
Russia saw the chance to press for a winner
and Alexander Kokorin went close with two
headers before Aleksandr Samedov fired
well wide in stoppage time.
Russia boss Fabio Capello told BBC Sport:
"It was a good game, they ran a lot in the
first half and then felt tired. You saw the
goal they scored, it was not easy to react.
"But the players were really good and most
important for me was the reaction. We also
twice had a chance to score a second goal.
"I know Kerzhakov did well, he's a fantastic
player. He always offers us a way to score
goals."
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bosaid:
"In such a tournament, the first match is the
most difficult. There is a lot of pressure on
it, so I thought the players played very well.
"I think our players really did their utmost on
the pitch today. Tactically and physically,
each and every moment they played
intelligently.
"We focused our rhythm and organisation on
this match. I think it worked well. The
condition of players and organisation of the
team was good."
Alexander Kerzhakov's
equaliser for Russia equalled
his country's goalscoring
record
Fabio Capello will have
enjoyed his birthday more
thanks to Aleksandr
Kerzhakov's equaliser
Russia goalkeeper Igor
Akinfeev had a night to forget
after gifting South Korea the
opening goal
Lee Keun-ho's goal was not
enough to maintain South
Korea's run of winning starts
in the World Cup