Cuiaba: Alexander Kerzhakov scored with one of his first touches after coming on as a substitute to earn Russia a 1-1 draw with South Korea on Tuesday in a World Cup match marked by the first big goalkeeping error of the tournament.
Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev spilled Lee Keun-ho's speculative shot into his own net to gift South Korea a 68th-minute lead at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba in Group H.
But Kerzhakov bailed his teammate out, turning in a shot from close range in the 74th - three minutes after coming on as a substitute - to rescue a point for Russia in a poor-quality match.
Russia were more commanding in possession in the early stages, however, too many turnovers saw them susceptible on the counter-attack.
South Korea had the best chance of the opening 25 minutes, when Bayer Leverkusen forward Son Heung-Min went on a run from midfield to the edge of the area, only to spray his shot high and wide under little pressure.
Russia were the first to attack after the re-start, earning a corner in the first minute back, only for captain Vasili Berezutski to hit his header into the side-netting.
In the 57th minute, Akinfeev had troubling handling another shot, but it wasn't until the middle of the half that the keeper's woes translated onto the scoresheet. On a speculative try from 20 yards out by Lee Keun-Ho went through the Russian's gloves, crossing the goal line just inside the left post. In the 68th minute, Akinfeev's nightmare was complete, allowing South Korea to go up, 1-0.
Six minutes later, his teammates responded. After breaking through the left side of the Korean defense, a shot on Jung Sung-Ryong led to a moment of chaos, with a failed clearance keeping play alive at the edge of the six-yard box. That's where Kerzhakov, a surprise omission from the starting lineup, pulled Russia even. Turning on a ball near the right post, the veteran striker blasted home his team's equalizer, leaving it 1-1 with 16 minutes left.
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