South Korea's profligacy in front of goal was evident again, but a hat-trick from Lee Dong-Gook was enough to see off Indonesia and put them into the last eight of the Asian Cup.

Needing a win to have any chance of qualifying, having taken just a point from their opening two games in Group B, the Koreans showed characteristic wastefulness in the first half-an-hour.

Kim Sang-Sik and Noh Jung-Yoon headed over when in acres of space, Choi Sung-Yong drove high from the edge of the box, then Seol Ki-Hyong spurned two presentable opportunities.

But they were in complete control, creating a chance virtually every time they poured forward down the right. They were fortunate, though, not to concede a penalty on 28 minutes, when Kang Chul appeared to bring down the marauding Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto.

But a goal had to come for the South Koreans, and it duly arrived moments later, when Dong-Gook slid home Park Ji-Sung's low centre from the left.

Even after the goal, chance after chance went begging for South Korea, Dong-Gook hitting tamely at Komang Putra Adnyana on 53 minutes after being picked out by a delightful ball from Ki-Hyeon, and Ji-Sung being denied by a fine block from Adnyana three minutes later.

Kim Tae-Young then drove straight at Adnyana after a corner had been half-cleared and the keeper was called into action again to keep out Yoo Sang-Chul's effort.

An unmarked Sang Chul headed over from a corner on 74 minutes, before Dong-Gook finally added a second to tie the game up with quarter of an hour remaining.

And still there was time for chances to go begging, Sang-Chul side-footing wide from six yards on 79 minutes, then being denied by a fine one-handed save from Adnyana.

Dong-Gook completed his hat-trick in the last minute, nodding home at the back post from a sweet cross from Ki-Hyeon.

Quite how they didn't win by five or six is a mystery, but with Indonesia offering next to nothing in attack, it didn't matter as South Korea qualified for the quarter-finals as the best third-placed team – and now face Iran in Tripoli on Monday.

South Korea: Lee Woon-Jae, Kang Chul, Kim Tae-Young, Seol Ki-Hyeon, Noh Jung-Yoon (Yoo Sang-Chul 58), Lee Dong-Gook, Lee Young-Pyo, Kim Sang-Sik (Yoon Jong-Hwan 46), Choi Sung-Yong, Hong Myung-bo, Park Ji-Sun

Indonesia: Adnyana, Sofyan, Sugiyantoro, Purdjianto, Nurdiyantara (Nahumarury 80), Nawawi, Yulianto, Sakti, Dalam (Putiray 46), Adnyabna, Santoso (Nuralim 82), Riadi

Booked: Kang Chul (South Korea); Yulianto, Santoso (Indonesia)

Referee: Toru Kamikawa (Japan)

source: www.asian-football.com