Who will be the goaltender to be chosen by coach Hong Myung-bo.
The national team, led by head coach Hong, will play the third away match of Group B in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup at Amman International Stadium on the 10th (Korea time). Jordan is ranked first in Group B (1 win, 1 draw, 4 points) before scoring multiple points despite having the same points as South Korea, so it is a must-win opponent for South Korea to go straight to the World Cup finals safely.
Compared to the first and second matches against Palestine and Oman last month, the national team has a whopping seven players changed. With captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), the core of his team, having to prepare a new game at the biggest watershed for North Korea, China and the U.S., he has become more complicated in his mind.
There are signs of change in the team’s management. Notably, the competition for front-line strikers has intensified. Striker resources on the national team’s roster for October are Joo Min-gyu (34, Ulsan HD), Oh Se-hoon (25, Machida Zelvia), and Oh Hyun-gyu (23, Genk). Only Joo Min-gyu and Oh Se-hoon were on the list for September, but Oh Hyun-gyu joined the team this time.
All three of them have distinct strengths. Resident-gyu, who is good at linking, protects the ball from the opponent team’s defense line by using his physical condition, thereby making room for second-line strikers. Since debuting in the A-team at the age of 33 years and 343 days in the third away match of Group C of the second Asian qualifying round for the World Cup between Thailand and North China in March, he has displayed high capacity to produce attack points with two goals and three assists in six A matches.
However, Oh is also formidable. Not only does Oh gain the right to offer by utilizing his 193 centimeter-tall stature, but he also has excellent footwork. He has had seven goals and two assists in 28 matches in the Japanese J-League this season. Since he was selected to the national team roster in June, he has steadily made his name and gained experience. 스포츠토토
Oh Hyun-kyu, who was called upon by the Korean national team for the first time in eight months after the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup, is also highly utilized in offense. As soon as he moved from Celtic (Scotland) to Genk (Belgium) this season, he instantly became the core of his team by scoring three goals and one assist from eight matches. As Jordan is likely to play a close defense against South Korea, his boldness can be of great help. He is also highly motivated as he has no A-match goals with Oh.
The three players have equal chances. In the first match since Hong took the helm, Joo Min-gyu was the starting pitcher and Oh Se-hoon was given the opportunity in the match against Oman. As a starting member has yet to be decided, chances are open to everyone. In order to gain an impression as Hong’s clear “number one” in a three-way match, which includes Oh Hyun-kyu, he must prove himself by performing and scoring goals.