“I will win this time!”
The Korean national soccer team led by Coach Hong Myung-bo is aiming at its fifth consecutive win. The team is vowing to win an away match against Palestine, an ambush that humiliated the home draw in the first match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and China. If the team wins five consecutive matches, it will be able to get closer to the finals.
Korea has made inroads into the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times, leaving the baton to coach Hong Myung-bo. However, the team got off to a poor start. It invited the Palestinians, who were considered “weak players,” to its home ground to play the first round, but failed to win. It tied the match 0-0 with the Palestinians at its home ground on Sept. 5 (Korea time). It failed to earn three points from the first match, and took a thorny path.
Since then, he has recovered. He has registered four consecutive wins. On Sept. 10, he won against Oman 3-1 in an away game, and secured his first win. On Oct. 10, he won 2-0 in an away game against Jordan, avenging his 0-2 defeat in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. On Oct. 15, he beat Iraq, a “powerhouse in the Middle East,” 3-2 at home. He had an away match with Kuwait on Oct. 14, recording a complete victory of 3-1.
A draw against Palestine turned out to be a medicine. He marked 11 points and two goals in the recent four games, singing “victory” in his performance. He had four wins, one draw and 13 points, and became the leader in Group C in the group league. He beat Jordan and Iraq (eight points or more) by five points, and occupied the highest place in the rankings. He is now close to acquiring a ticket to directly advance to the finals, which will be given to the first and second ranking teams. 온라인바카라
Now we have a chance to meet Palestinians again. They will have a showdown in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday. They have debts to repay. They had a shocking 0-0 draw at their debut match against Hong Myung-bo, which was noisy inside and outside. If they beat the Palestinians in an away match to achieve five consecutive wins, they will be able to make up for their humiliation of their first round home draw to some extent.
Of course, we must not let our guard down. Although the Palestinians are at the bottom of Group B with two draws, three losses and two points through the fifth round, they still have potential and potential, just as they showed in the first round home game. Just as Hong Myung-bo has calmly advanced and achieved his fourth consecutive win, he should produce good results in the sixth round with the Palestinians.
◆ Hong Myung-bo’s schedule and results of the 3rd Asian qualifying round for WC Asia
- September 5 vs Palestine (home) 0-0 draw
- September 10 vs Oman (away) 3-1 win
- October 10 vs Jordan (away) 2-0 win
- October 15 vs Iraq (home) 3-2 win
- November 14 vs Kuwait (away) 3-1 win
- November 19 vs Palestine (away)
- March 20, 2025 vs Oman (home)
- March 25, 2025 vs Jordan (home)
- June 5, 2025 vs Iraq (away)
- June 10, 2025 vs Kuwait (home)