Hong Myung-bo, who received boos and humiliating results in his first departure, once again tries to win.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo (55), will play the second Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup against Oman at 11 p.m. on the 10th (Korea Standard Time) at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat, Oman.
Hong bowed his head in the first match against the Palestinians on Saturday, when his team set sail for the first time. The team was 23rd in FIFA rankings, far ahead of the 96th-ranked Palestinians, but ended up in a 0-0 draw. Attacks were blocked repeatedly and defense was unstable as well. Had it not been for Cho Hyun-woo (32, Ulsan HD), he could have lost.
More than anything else, fans who visited the stadium did not welcome Hong’s departure. The controversial appointment process for the coach was followed by a barrage of boos. Whenever Hong was seen on the electronic display, including the introduction of the coach before the game, he booed the coach. He also called for the resignation of Hong and Chung Mong-gyu, chairman of the Korea Football Association.
Hong also looked perplexed. “I can’t say that I am not embarrassed,” he said when booed by his home fans. “I’m criticized. It’s okay if the coach takes it, but I hope the players will support me.” “Players have to play anyway, so I think it would be appreciated if they could help me do a little better,” he added.
After the game, Kim Min-jae (28, Bayern Munich) also delivered a message saying, “I hope you cheer for me” after heading to the stands where the official supporters of the national team are located. Later, Kim Min-jae said, “I just wanted you to cheer for the players,” and explained, “I hoped you couldn’t do it and I was sorry for your support.”
Then, the Red Devils issued a statement saying there was no war of words between the players and the audience, but “I have not cheered at any moment ‘hopefully’ or ‘hopefully’.”
In this situation, head coach Hong said, “Kim Min-jae is a player who always thanks his fans and plays with support,” adding, “In a way, I think it happened because of these things about me.”
Coach Hong, who took the helm of the A-team for the first time in about 10 years and two months since the 2014 World Cup match against Belgium, has seen his return match tainted. Team Korea, which failed to catch both the process and the result, will seek its first win in the third round of qualifying round once again in an away match against Oman.
Oman is 76th in FIFA ranking, higher than Palestine. There is no place to retreat, losing to Iraq 0-1 in the first match. In matches against Iran, Korea leads the team with four wins and one loss. The team won 1-0 at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia, the most recent showdown. 안전놀이터
The only loss that remains the dark history of Korean soccer came in an away match against Oman in October 2003. The team suffered a come-from-behind defeat by 1-3 in the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Oman in October 2003. The shock was even dubbed the “Pride Shock” as the disaster took place just one year after the team made it to the semi-finals at the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan. Coach Umberto Coelho was also under intense pressure to be replaced.
The same applies to Team Korea’s national team Hong Myung-bo, who is in jeopardy even from the start. If the team fails to secure a result in the upcoming match following the match against Palestine, public opinion toward him will worsen. “The most important thing is the players’ solidarity and cohesion,” Hong said. “Even in this situation, it is my role to produce good results.” “I hope that players don’t think about other things unnecessarily and just focus on the game.”