Cho Yoo-min perfectly filled Kim Min-jae’s partner position, which created a gap due to Kim Young-kwon’s absence.
The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, won 2-0 with consecutive goals by Lee Jae-sung and Oh Hyun-kyu in the third away game of the ‘2026 FIFA North-China World Cup Asia Regional Qualifier’ held at Amman International Stadium in Jordan at 11 p.m. on the 10th (Korea time).
South Korea took the lead in Group B with its victory on the day. It also avenged its 0-2 complete defeat at the Qatar Asian Cup in February. It was inevitable to operate Plan B due to the absence of Son Heung-min, but it won 2-0 against Jordan.
All the players performed their roles, but the center back stood out. Wearing the “captain armband,” Kim Min-jae played as a wailing wall. Kim bullied the Jordanian attackers with his unique aggressive defense. He also worked well with his partner Cho Yoo-min, leading the team to a scoreless victory.
Cho made his comeback to the national team for the first time in four months after starting in the match against Jordan. Cho displayed stellar cover behind Kim Min-jae. Cho received a score of 7.6, the third highest in his team, from “Sofa Score,” with six clearings, two shoot blocks, two tackles and a 95 percent pass success rate. This is higher than Kim Min-jae (7.2 points).
Hong has made a change in center back ahead of the A-match in October. Kim Young-kwon, the national team’s center back, has been excluded from the list. “Kim Young-kwon has been good to me for a long time, but I thought it was important to maintain good performance,” Hong said, explaining why he was excluded.
Cho Yoo-min and Kim Joo-sung were selected for the position without Kim Young-kwon. Cho was also selected by Hong in the A-match in September, but was replaced by Kwon Kyung-won, who was originally selected. Therefore, it is the first time that Cho is included in the list except for the replacement.
Hong agonized over Kim’s partner. “It is the same for all positions, but I am considering a combination. I think that is another part that needs to be matched. It is the national team’s homework to find a combination of all positions,” he said at a press conference to announce the team’s roster. 토토사이트
At the same time, he also shed hints about Kim’s partner. “I thought it would be much more efficient for players from the Middle East to participate in the away game because of fatigue,” Hong said.
The candidates were narrowed down to Jung Seung-hyun, who plays for Al Wasl, and Cho Yoo-min, who plays for Al Sharjah. Cho was chosen by Hong and blocked the Jordanian attack team by establishing a good partnership with Kim Min-jae. Cho Yoo-min has shown good chemistry with Kim Min-jae and is expected to play as the main center back for the time being.