During the final round of the Asian qualifiers, South Korea won the match against Iran (3-0), but tied in subsequent matches against Iraq (2-2) and Saudi Arabia (1-1), and lost a match against Japan (0-1). Had Japan won this match against Iraq, South Korea would have been disqualified even if they won the match against North Korea held on the same day. But as Japan and Iraq tied in the last minute, Japan was disqualified instead, and South Korea was qualified, making the South Korean media naming the result a "miracle".