South Korea edged Japan 1-0 on a last-gasp penalty shot on Sunday to secure a berth in the semifinals of the men's football tournament at the Incheon Asian Games.

South Korean captain Jang Hyun-soo’s successful shot with two minutes to go lifted the home country to the last four. South Korea will take on Thailand in Tuesday's semifinals.

At the start of the quarterfinals game, high-tempered players were peevish, reflecting the importance of the game.

With Jang Hyun-soo and Musashi Suzuki arguing after clashing to get the ball in the air in the 3rd minute, both teams committed 34 fouls in 90 minutes, with 17 in the first half.

The first-half was a bit tedious, as there were no critical scoring chances for either side, with only seven shots attempted combined.

Lee Yong-jae was at the frontline of the attack for South Korea, supported by Kim Young-uk and Lee Jae-sung from the sides to move swiftly and create more chances.

But from the midfield, the South Korean men made passing mistakes and couldn’t break through Japan's crowded defense.

On the other hand, Japan packed the midfield and tried to build play with short passes. Their slick passing threatened the penalty box, but failed to produce goals due to their poor final touches.

In the 11th, Rim Chang-woo’s header went closely over the Japanese crossbar, a minute after Japan's forwards stormed onto South Korea’s side but failed to fire a shot.

In the 13th, Kim Jin-su curled a free kick to Lee Yong-jae, who stretched out his leg and touched the ball but missed the target.

The best chance for the Korean side came in the 28th minute as Lee Yong-jae fired the ball into the empty net but a rushing defender deflected the shot.

In the second half, the movement was faster and more positive.

In the 54th, Lee Jae-sung received a fine cross from Rim Chang-wook and passed the ball to the rushing Lee Jong-ho, who slammed a long-range shot off the bar.

Six minutes later, Son Jun-ho dribbled along the right sideline and gifted Park Joo-ho, who took a deflection off a Japanese defender but couldn't find the net.

Japan made the first shot in the second half at the 76th minute. As the South Koreans were in disarray due to the passing between Ryota Oshima and Musashi Suzuki, Shinya Yajima slammed a right-foot shot, which was caught by goalie Kim Seung-gyu.

In the 82nd, Lee Jae-sung penetrated into the box, thrusting through four Japanese defenders, and the ball was deflected to Lee Jong-ho, whose header was blocked by defender Wataru Endo.

Five minutes before the final whistle, Ryota Ohshima rode on the back of Lee Jong-ho in the right corner of the box, granting the host the chance for a penalty kick.

Captain Jang then stepped up and scored the first and the only goal in the 88th. (Yonhap)