Andreas Granqvist scored from the spot in the 65th minute.
Sweden's players celebrate their opening goal against South Korea (Photo: AFP)
A controversial penalty scored by Andreas Granqvist in the 65th minute helped Sweden beat a resilient South Korea by 1-0.
The penalty was not given initially but after Swedish players protested, the referee went up to the Visual Assistant Referee (VAR) and reversed his decision.
Advertisement
This is the first time when VAR is being used in the World Cup and it is already being criticised. After referee denied Sweden the penalty, South Korea broke away on a counter-attack at the other end only to be stopped by the referee.
Advertisement
Andreas Granqvist kept his calm from the spot as he sent goalkeeper the other away and scored to give Sweden the lead.
Sweden played better football throughout the game as they created many chances but were only able to convert one penalty.
South Korea created some chances on the counter but failed to deliver in the final third. Their talisman Heung-Min Son showed some sparks of brilliance with his solo runs but received little support from his teammates.
As a result of this victory, Sweden joins Mexico at the top of Group F ahead of Germany. Sweden will play Germany in their next match and will look to qualify for the next round.
As for South Korea, they should keep their heads up as they were unlucky to be undone by the VAR. They will face Mexico in their next match and will look to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Advertisement
