WORLD CUP ROUNDUP | First round games
South Korea 1, Portugal 0
INCHEON, South Korea -- South Korea shocked short-handed with a second-half goal, knocking the Portuguese out of the World Cup. Park Ji-sung scored against a nine-man Portuguese squad in the 70th minute. South Korea finished in first place in Group D, advancing for the first time in six World Cup trips. The co-hosts play three-time champion Italy in the second round Tuesday. Joao Pinto and Beto were both red-carded, one in each half, yet Portugal nearly came back to tie it. Pinto was ejected despite protests from most of the Portuguese players after smashing into Park with a two-footed challenge from behind. Beto was sent off after receiving his second yellow card in the 66th minute. The winning goal came after Park took a cross from the left, chested the ball down, flicked it around a defender and drove a shot through goalkeeper Vitor Baia's legs. Park's goal sent the red-clad crowd wild and it never stopped cheering as the Koreans held on. Portugal almost tied it in the last minute when Sergio Conceicao sent a volley against the goalpost. It was one of several chances the Portuguese missed.
Belgium 3, Russia 2
SHIZUOKA, Japan -- Belgium scored two goals in a tense final 12 minutes today, scraping through to the second round of the World Cup. The Belgians' prize: a second-round game against Brazil on Monday in Kobe, Japan. Substitute Wesley Sonck put the Belgians ahead in the 78th minute, and Marc Wilmots added the winner four minutes later. It was Wilmots' third goal of the tournament. Belgium scored first in the seventh minute on a free kick by Johan Walem. But Vladimir Beschastnykh scored Russia's first goal in the 52nd minute, and a tie would have been enough for the Russians to advance in Group H.
Japan 2, Tunisia 0
OSAKA, Japan -- Japan advanced to the second round for the first time, beating Tunisia on second-half goals by Hiroaki Morishima and Hidetoshi Nakata. Japan, which went 0-3 four years ago in its first World Cup appearance, came in knowing a tie or even a one-goal loss would guarantee advancement. By finishing first in the group with a 2-0-1 record, Japan will play Turkey in the second round Tuesday, avoiding a matchup with four-time champion Brazil. Morishima, who came in to start the second half, took advantage of poor Tunisian defending in the 48th minute. As the ball rolled free in the penalty area, Morishima got a clear right-footed shot off and drove it behind goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel from 10 yards. Nakata, Japan's biggest star, scored his first goal of the tournament in the 75th minute, taking a cross from Daisuke Ichikawa and heading it home from 7 yards. Japan lost to Argentina, Croatia and Jamaica at the 1998 tournament, scoring only one goal. This year, with fanatic home crowd and the guidance of French coach Philippe Troussier, the Japanese defeated Russia 1-0 and tied Belgium 2-2. Tunisia finished last in the group, losing 2-0 to Russia and tying Belgium 1-1. Neither team did any damage in the first 20 minutes. Japan had only one meek shot and Tunisia did not manage any. It wasn't until the 22nd that Japan got the first corner kick and not until the 34th that Japan had a serious shot on goal.