SUWON, South Korea -- South Korea's soccer team restored some of its pride on Sunday night with a 1-0 victory over Australia in its final group game in the Confederations Cup.
Kashiwa Reysol striker Hwang Sun Hong got the only goal of the game before 42,754 fans at Suwon's World Cup stadium, 50 km southwest of Seoul.
Unfortunately for the home side, it wasn't enough to earn a berth in the second round. With the French winning 4-0 against Mexico in Ulsan on Sunday, Australia, France and South Korea finished level on points with two wins and six points each in Group A. The Koreans fell short on goal difference. A 4-0 win would have seen them advance, but it was a tall order against the organized Aussies, even though Australia did finish with just 10 men.