Ten-man South Korea clinched third place in the 2007 Asian Cup, and thereby won automatic qualification for the 2011 event, with a penalty shootout victory over Japan on Saturday.

The match was scoreless after regulation and extra time, and South Korea prevailed 6-5 in the shootout when goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae blocked the final penalty from Japan's Naotake Hanyu.

Japan's Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi fails to save a penalty kick during the 2007 AFC Asian Cup 3rd/4th placing soccer match between Japan and South Korea at the Jaka Baring stadium in Palembang July 28, 2007. [AP]

It was the third consecutive scoreless draw and penalty shootout for the Koreans, winning in this match and the quarterfinal but losing to Iraq in the semifinal.

For Japan, two-time defending champion, the defeat meant it must now go through qualifying in order to reach the 2011 event.

The match started brightly, and South Korea came close to opening the scoring in the 25th minute, with a series of half-chances within a minute from a freekick, shots and corners.

The first decisive moment of the match came a couple of minutes before halftime when a Japanese corner fell to Yuji Nakazawa, who seemed certain to score with a volley from point-blank range, but Korea's goalkeeper Lee pulled off a remarkable reflex save and the ball was cleared to safety.

For a South Korean side, which by the end of extra time had gone more than seven hours in this tournament without scoring, such rearguard actions were vital.

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