European champion Norway marched into the final of the Beijing Olympics women's handball by beating South Korea 29-28 with a last-moment controversial shot on Thursday.
A controversial shot from Norwegian center back Gro Hammerseng broke the draw of 28-28 at the last moment. Both teams were left in bewilderment.
Kim Jin-soo, vice president of South Korean Handball Association, told reporters after the match that according to the video record of South Korean media, the ball was hurled into the net two seconds after the match ended. Referees insisted it was unnecessary to watch the video record.
The South Korean squad refused to leave the field after referees endorsed Norway's victory. South Korean coach Lim Young-chul argued with judges on the matter for about half an hour before their departure.
South Korea may file an official application for arbitration, Kim added.
Kim said it would be hard to change the result even if they apply for the arbitration as there is no precedent.
Norwegian head coach Marit Breivik said after the contest, "I guess I have to trust the table."
One highlight in the first half of the semi-final was South Korean left wing Moon Pilhee who scored six times for her team. The Asian handball power extended the lead to 13-9 with only five minutes left before the break, but Norway took advantage of passing errors of the rival to launch a fierce assault. The half ended at 15-14 with South Korea leading.
The Asian team showed weak defense after the interval and netted only one score in the first nine minutes. Norway led by four points for three times in the second half. With collective efforts, South Korea tried to bring the match into an overtime with 28-28.
However, the controversial shot crashed their hope.
Among the four contingents in the semifinals, South Korea is the only one from Asia, breaking the dominance of European nations in the event.
(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2008)