South Korea on Wednesday gained a berth in the final qualifying round of Olympic football in the Asian region with a 1-0 away victory over Uzbekistan.

 

Midfielder Baek Ji-hoon hammered a free kick into the top left corner in the 75th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead, and goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong made several superb saves throughout the match to seal the victory.

 

With a four-game winning streak in the preliminary group, the South Korean Olympic football squad kept its top spot in the group, and confirmed its spot in the final round of 12 countries, regardless of the results of the two remaining preliminary matches.

 

Along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen, South Korea are scheduled to travel to Yemen on May 16 before hosting UAE on June 6.

 

The UAE, in third place with three points in the group, will miss the final round even if they sweep their remaining two matches, as they fell behind South Korea in head-to-head results.

 

The winners and runners-up from each of the six Asian preliminary groups are to advance to the final round of qualifications, scheduled to be held from Aug. 22-Nov. 21.

 

A total of 12 countries will then be divided into three groups, and the winner of each group will qualify for the round of 16 in the Beijing Olympic Games next year.

 

South Korea have qualified for the finals of the Olympic Games five times in a row.