South Korea's Olympic soccer team has earned a ticket to the quarterfinals for the first time in 56 years.

South Korea drew three to three with Mali in their final Group A match held at the Thessaloniki Stadium early Wednesday morning, Korean time, securing second place in the group and qualifying for the quarterfinals.

A hat-trick by Mali's Tenema Ndiaye looked all but certain to doom South Korea's long-cherished dream of advancing to the quarterfinals. But with a three-goal deficit in the 55th minute, South Korea battled back with Cho Jae-jin's two successive headers into the net in the 12th and 14th minute in the second half.

A spectacular own-goal by Mali's Adama Tamboura equalized the game in the 19th minute, effectively sending the South Koreans into the eight-team second round competition.

Led by coach Kim Ho-gon, the South Koreans beat Mexico 1-0 on Sunday after a 2-2 draw with the Olympic hosts Greece in the Group A opener last Thursday.

South Korea, the 2002 World Cup semifinalists, will face the first ranking team from Group B Sunday in the round of eight for a berth to the semifinals.

This is the fifth consecutive time South Korea has fought in the Olympic soccer tournament.

The last time the Korean Olympic soccer team made it to the quarterfinals was in the 1948 London Olympics. Since then, Korea has been eliminated five times, all in the first round.