A press conference was held at the City Seasons Hotel in Muscat, Oman, on the 9th, a day before the second Group B match of the Asian third qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup between South Korea and Oman.
Coach Hong, who took the helm of the national team amid controversy over fairness in the appointment process, failed to lead the first game against the “weak” Palestinians and ended up with a 0-0 draw.
If the team fails to win the match against Oman, the already rising “Hong Myung-bo’s replacement theory” will spread further.
Despite the confusion, Hong has been leading the team without shaking.
The national team at the training site in Muscat is letting go of the memories of the shocking draw and raising the fighting spirit for victory in the match against Oman.
Hong said, “I will make sure to win. I can’t predict the outcome of the game, but I will do my best to win three points.”
There was only one training session in which all the players got their feet right ahead of the match against Palestine.
This time, I was able to prepare for the game with more leeway.
“Overall, I feel that our performance has improved a lot compared to the last home game. Overall, our players’ condition has also improved. I think it will be of great help to train together for one or two more days in terms of game management and tactics,” Hong said.
In the match against Oman, Hong said he would change the starting lineup compared to the match against Palestine.
When asked if he has completed his efforts to make a change, Hong said, “I will decide after watching the recovery speed of the injured player (Seol Young-woo). Generally, other positions are ready.”
Oman is 76th in the FIFA rankings, 53 steps below South Korea (23rd), but showed a formidable performance by losing 0-1 in the first away match against Iraq, which is expected to compete with South Korea and Jordan for the second place in Group B.
Coach Hong said, “I know enough about arrogance,” but added, “What’s more important is how good we perform to bring results.”
It drew against the underdog in the first round, and the second game is a tough away match in the Middle East.
As the opponent lost the first game, he is expected to do his best to win at home.
“It’s not easy, but our players have such experience,” Hong said. “Our main players have experience in the final qualifying round for the World Cup. We trust our players. I hope they forget about the last game and go to the game.” 메이저놀이터
Muscat is a place where director Hong has good memories.
He confirmed his qualification for the 2012 London Olympics 12 years ago at the Alshiv Stadium in Shiv, near Muscat.
“I don’t think it’s a bad place, but a lot of time has passed. I didn’t have a good result in the first match against Palestine, but I hope this is a place where I can take a step up in every aspect,” Hong said with strength.