Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) scored his 12th A-match goal and led Hong Myung-bo to victory in Jordan. With captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) unable to join due to injury, he clearly showed the power of the European eldest brother.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, beat Jordan 2-0 in the away match of Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China U.S. World Cup (co-hosted by Canada, the U.S., and Mexico) at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan, on the 11th (Korea time).
Thanks to the victory, South Korea had two wins, one draw and seven points to rise to the top of Group B, beating Iraq (one win, one draw and four points), which had played one less match. Jordan tied with Jordan with one win, one draw and one loss, and four points, but was pushed back from the lead to the third place due to differences in points.
Coach Hong Myung-bo pulled out a 4-2-3-1 formation against Jordan. At a time when Son could not join the third and fourth Group B matches due to muscle injury behind his left thigh, he devised an offensive tactic to place three European players, Lee Kang-in, Lee Jae-sung and Hwang Hee-chan, at the second line.
South Korea faced a bad news when Hwang Hee-chan, who had been showing good movements, was replaced by an injury in the 23rd minute of the first half. Jordanian defenders’ rough tackle created a variable in which the main player left from the beginning of the game.
It was Lee Jae-sung who changed the situation in which the game could have been twisted. Lee Jae-sung has been working diligently on the ground since the beginning of the first half based on his unique active movements.
Lee Jae-sung scored the first goal in the 38th minute of the first half to take the lead toward South Korea. Seol Young-woo finished the cross from the right side into the box with a perfect header, shaking Jordan’s net.
After Lee Jae-seong scored the first goal, Korea was able to manage the game with confidence. Oh Hyun-kyu scored a net goal in the 23rd minute of the second half to defeat Jordan.
South Korea paid back the pain of losing 0-2 to Jordan in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in February, when coach Jurgen Klinsmann took the helm. 먹튀검증
Lee Jae-sung also managed to solve the problem in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup while swallowing regret after missing a decisive scoring chance in the Asian Cup semifinals against Jordan.
Lee Jae-sung said in a TV interview after the game, “The away game in Jordan was not easy, but I was able to win because the players wanted to win,” adding, “It was difficult, but I’m happy to win and go back.”