South Korea lost to Australia 2-1 in extra time at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup final at Stadium Australia in Sydney Saturday.

Massimo Luongo opened the scoring in the 45th minute, and James Troisi sealed the victory in extra time, giving the host its first-ever Asian title since it moved from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to the AFC in 2006.

Son Heung-min leveled the score during second injury time, sending the match into extra-time, but the Taegeuk Warriors led by German coach Uli Stielike wasted momentum after a 106th-minute goal from Troisi.

It was South Korea’s first appearance at the Asian Cup final in 27 years. The team entered the match, seeking to end a 55-year-long title drought at the quadrennial event. South Korea won the tournament’s first two editions in 1956 and 1960.

Australia, led by Greek-born coach Ange Postecoglou, took the revenge on the Stielike’s side for its previous defeat. South Korea beat Australia 1-0 in the final group match on January 17, handing the Socceroos their only defeat at the 2015 Asian Cup.

Luongo gave a good chance for the redemption as first regular 45 minutes just passed, and the midfielder converted a pass from Trent Sainsbury into a right-footed shot.

It was Son that rallied Team Korea with a dramatic equalizer. In the 91st minute, the Leverkusen striker connected with Ki Sung-yueng’s pass from left inside of the box into a powerful left-footer that sailed past Aussie goalie Mat Ryan.

Troisi, a Belgium-based forward, turned the tide for Australia as he picked up a deflected ball and put a right-footer past Korean goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon in the 106th minute. There was no additional scare from South Korea, as fatigue got the better of the team for the second half in extra time.

Australia, although ranked only 100th by FIFA, has become stronger over the three bids for an Asian Cup title. It came in a second place at the 2011 edition with a 1-0 loss to Japan at the final. This year, it advanced to the final after beating the UAE 2-0 on Wednesday.

South Korea, who came off a disappointing first-round exit at the Brazil World Cup, also had an impressive run at the Asian Cup, winning five consecutive matches and conceding no goal before the final. The 69th-ranked team beat Iraq 2-0 at the semifinal on Tuesday. 

In 2011, South Korea finished third with a 3-2 victory over Uzbekistan at the third-place decider.

Meanwhile, the UAE beat Iraq 3-2 to finish third at the third-place decider on Friday.