South Korea's national soccer team has come from behind to defeat Vietnam 2-1 in preliminary play for the 2006 World Cup.

During the tightly contested match at Ho Chi Minh City Wednesday, Korean forward Cha Du-ri was sent off the pitch near the end of the first half for elbowing a Vietnamese player.

Korea's ten-man team then fell behind in the early part of the second half when Korean defender Park Jae-hong deflected a Vietnamese score attempt only to see the ball float into the Korean net.

But Lee Dong-guk headed in the equalizer off a pass from Lee Cheon-soo in the 19th minute. The deciding goal followed in the 31st minute when Lee beautifully curled a free kick at the top of the box into the top left corner of the net.