The team quickly forgot about the past game. Hong Myung-bo prepared for the upcoming match against Oman, leaving behind the sluggish Palestinian game.
The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, conducted on the 7th (Korea time) at Alshiv Stadium in Muscat, Oman, in preparation for the second Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. The match against Oman will be held three days later at 11 p.m. on the 10th at Sultan Qaboos Stadium.
The team stepped on the land of Oman just after 5 p.m. on the day. After taking a short break after moving to their lodging facility after arriving at Muscat Airport, the team started training to adjust to the situation.
It was a long flight that lasted more than 15 hours, but there was no time to rest. This is because we must win this match against Oman.
The national team had a scoreless draw after poor performance in the first Group B match against Palestine in the third qualifying round at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th. It was a shocking result because the opponent was only 96th in the FIFA rankings.
The players’ faces were grim when they entered the airport. After entering the arrival hall, there was no laughter while they were on their way to board the team bus. The impact of the Palestinian match seemed to be quite large.
However, the atmosphere changed quickly after receiving hospitality from some 20 Korean residents who visited the airport. The faces of the players who left the airport receiving bouquets of flowers from their fans looked brighter. After receiving a barrage of autographs, the coaches Kim Min-jae and Hong Myung-bo smiled and headed for their lodging.
After resting for about three hours, the team immediately started training to adjust to the situation. The players entered the stadium with bright faces. Leaving behind the shock of the match against Palestine in a bright atmosphere, they focused only on the upcoming match against Oman.
The training was conducted on the day of arrival, so it was conducted with low intensity. Training focused on adapting to the local area and recovering condition continued. A total of 13 players, including 11 starting players in the match against Palestine, Oh Se-hoon and Hwang Hee-chan, who played a lot of time as substitutes, went around the stadium to conduct recovery training.
Afterwards, he warmed up lightly by conducting “reactive catching” training, which strengthens reaction speed and body balance. Paired with two players, Jung Woo-young and Kim Young-kwon, Lee Kang-in-Seol Young-woo, Cho Hyun-woo and Son Heung-min, Oh Se-hoon and Kim Min-jae, stood on one foot and exchanged triangular objects to strengthen their body balance. Whenever mistakes occurred in high-level movements, bright laughter rang out.
According to a national team official, this ‘reactive catching’ training was reportedly conducted for the first time.
The other 13 players also conducted the training in a pleasant atmosphere. During the training session after dribbling and lifting with weak feet, many players couldn’t hit the goalpost even once, making them smile. Notably, high school student Shin Seong-yang failed to hit the goalpost three times, drawing laughter from his seniors. Coach Hong, who was next to him, also smiled and watched the players’ training.
In addition, Rondo, who passes two taggers, joined hands through training. Coach Kim Jin-gyu also encouraged the players by taking part in the training by himself. 메이저놀이터
Since then, positioning training has been conducted under the guidance of head coach Joao Arroso. He detailedly adjusted the positions of the players according to the opponent’s formation and checked how to deploy the offense. He continued his training to score points against Oman, which is expected to defend.
During the training for about an hour, the players’ faces were full of laughter. The match against Palestine was already a past game. He finished the training in a pleasant atmosphere, focusing on the upcoming match against Oman.