Seol takes on the Azzurri defence (Allsport).

By Paul Walker, PA Sport, Daejeon

Ahn Jung-hwan, the golden boy of Korean football, scored the golden goal which sent the co-hosts through to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

Ahn had been the villain of the peace when he failed to convert a fifth-minute penalty and his miss looked all the more glaring when Christian Vieri headed Italy ahead on 18 minutes.

But this Korean side never knows when they are beaten and in the 88th minute Seol Ki-hyeon equalised to send the second-round match in the Daejeon World Cup stadium into extra-time.

The drama continued as Italy's Francesco Totti was sent off for two bookable offences and then with just four minutes of extra-time left, Ahn headed home the most important goal in the history of Korean football.

Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno had been spoilt for choice for Korea's penalty when Song Chong-gug swung a free-kick into the box as Christian Panucci held back Seol Ki-hyeon and Francesco Coco tugged Yoo Sang-chul's shirt.

Anyway, whichever one it was it was a penalty, but to the disbelief of the massed red ranks of the home fans, Ahn weakly hit the spot-kick to Gianluigi Buffon's right and the Italian goalkeeper saved it.

Vieri made Korea pay for this miss when he headed Italy in front in the 18th minute with his fourth World Cup goal and his 14th in 28 games for the Azzurri.

Francesco Totti delivered a corner to the near post and the Inter Milan hitman outmuscled Choi Jin-cheul to power home a header from just three yards out.

Korea tried to respond and Ahn flashed a shot across the face of the goal after turning Mark Iuliano.

But it was Italy who came closest to scoring again when Totti played in Damiano Tommasi and his shot was blocked by Lee Woon-jae.

Ahn tried again to atone for his missed penalty and a 25-yard free-kick deflected off Cristiano Zanetti and behind for a corner while a second 25-yard effort was saved by Buffon.

Korean should have been reduced to 10 men at the start of the second half when Kim Tae-young, who had already been booked, escaped unpunished for elbowing the recalled Alessandro Del Piero.

Ahn continued to create - and miss - Korea's best chances and he blazed over from a free-kick on the edge of the D.

Vieri proved he could miss, too, when he fired wide after being put through. He did better a couple of minutes later when he powered through only for his shot to come off Lee Young-pyo and land on the roof of the net.

With the clock ticking down it seemed Italy had done enough, but then with just over two minutes of normal time left, Korea scored to turn the whole game - and country - on its head.

Panucci made a hash of substitute Hwang Sun-hong's cross into the box and Seol pounced to score left-footed into the bottom corner.

Even then there was still time for both sides to score a winner and Vieri somehow managed to blaze over from just six yards out before substitute Cha Du-ri's overhead kick was saved by Buffon.

Into extra-time and yet more drama. Korea thought Hwang had done it when he threaded a free-kick under the Italian wall only for Buffon to save, diving to his left.

Then in the 103rd minute Totti was sent off when Moreno ruled he had dived when challenged by Song and showed him his second yellow card.

The Italians questioned another of Moreno's decision when he disallowed a Damiano Tommasi goal for an extremely marginal offside decision.

Both sides had chances to win and Buffon saved Hwang's header before Lee touched substitute Gennaro Gattuso's shot over the bar.

The in the 116th minute Ahn headed home to send Korea into the last eight and the whole country wild.

Teams

South Korea: Woon-Jae Lee, Jin-Cheul Choi, Hong (Cha 83), Tae-Young Kim (Hwang 62), Nam-Il Kim (Chun-Soo Lee 68), Yoo, Yong-Pyo Lee, Park, Song, Seol, Ahn.

Subs Not Used: En-Sung Choi, Sung-Young Choi, Tae-Uk Choi, Yong-Soo Choi, Hyun, Byung-Ji Kim, Eul-Young Lee, Min-Sung Lee, Yoon.

Booked: Tae-Young Kim, Song, Chun-Soo Lee, Jin-Cheul Choi.

Goals: Seol 88, Ahn 117.

Italy: Buffon, Panucci, Iuliano, Coco, Maldini, Zanetti, Zambrotta (Di Livio 72), Tommasi, Totti, Del Piero (Gattuso 61), Vieri.

Subs Not Used: Abbiati, Delvecchio, Di Biagio, Doni, Inzaghi, Materazzi, Montella, Nesta, Toldo.

Sent Off: Totti (104).

Booked: Coco, Totti, Tommasi, Zanetti.

Goals: Vieri 18.

South Korea win on Golden Goal Rule

Att: 38,588

Ref: B Moreno (Ecuador).