Goals: Russia—Kerzhakov 74'; South Korea—Keun-Ho 68'
Recap: The 2014 World Cup saw its third draw of the tournament on Tuesday, with Russia and South Korea finishing 90 minutes of play tied at one.
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A thunderous strike from South Korea's Lee Keun-Ho opened the affair in the 68th minute, inexplicably escaping the clutches of Igor Akinfeev. Alexander Kerzhakov would respond for his teammate just six minutes later. The draw sees both team's tied for second in Group H.
Key Moment: The Brazuca was heralded by many before the tournament for its consistency in rolling and traveling. Just don't tell that to Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev. The 28-year-old correctly positioned himself to collect Lee Keun-Ho's strike from distance, only to see it comically roll off his hands and into the back of the net. Russia was able to salvage a point, but his error will be the narrative should the team fail to qualify for the Round of 16.
Man of the Match: Standout performances were few and far between in Cuiaba, but the totality of Son Heung-Min's game is worthy of mention. The South Korean midfielder won 80 percent of his areal duels, successfully completed three dribbles and completed 94 percent of his 71 attempted passes.
Lesson Learned: The battle for supremacy in Group H is more open than previously considered. Belgium, once considered the overwhelming favorites, struggled to earn a result against Algeria. Belgium and South Korea played to an unimpressive draw. Improvement will be needed from all four sides if Group H intends to represent beyond the group stage.
Up Next: Russia travels to Rio de Janeiro to face Belgium on June 22, while South Korea visits Porto Alegre to meet with Algeria.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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