Ahn, the World Cup hero who scored a decider to beat Italy last year, struck home in the 86th minute on a Seol Ki-Hyeon pass to give Korea coach Humberto Coelho of Portugal his first win in three games Saturday in Tokyo.

The 27-year-old forward joined the "White Horse Unit" on the outskirts of Seoul for four-week military basic training during the month J-League play is suspended for the Kirin Cup and the Confederations Cup.

Korean men are required to perform 26 months of compulsory army service, but Ahn and other football players were allowed to avoid it following South Korea's success at the World Cup last year.

South Korea changed the national service law to reward the team's success in moving beyond the first round.

The Koreans went on to beat Italy 2-1 and Spain 5-3 in a penalty shootout to become the first Asian nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals. They lost to Germany 1-0 in the semi-finals and to Turkey 3-2 in a third place playoff.

After basic military training, Ahn was allowed to serve three years in the public sector of his choosing, including football.

According to the Yonhap news agency, Ahn returned home Sunday and paid a visit to the barber, his first in a decade, to cut his hair to army length.