The secret of Hong Myung-bo’s first voyage, which was not smooth, is a thrilling “replacement” hidden in the secret of cruising toward North and Central America.
Whenever the game does not go well, the replacement card, which is taken out, is hitting the mark, and it is racing to win no loss (4 wins, 1 draw, 13 points) in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. Except for the match against Palestine, which was the only game that did not win, the replacement players in all games helped them to lead Group B by tasting the goal.
Korean national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo’s mercenary skills are proven by his performance. Korea has scored 11 goals in five matches of the third qualifying round. Of those goals, four came from the feet of the players that Hong replaced. Replacements account for 36 percent of the goals. The figure is also compared with the figure that only three goals (two from Kwon Chang-hoon and one from Jung Woo-young, 23 percent) were scored on the bench out of a total of 13 goals (ten matches) under former coach Paulo Bento (55), who took the helm four years ago in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Hong’s mercenary skills shone every time he faced a crisis. In the 44th minute of the second half, when the team needed a victory, Joo Min-kyu (34) of Ulsan was replaced and scored a decisive goal to determine the 3-1 victory just before the end of the game.
In the third round of the away match in Jordan in October, Oh Hyun-kyu (23, Genk) and Bae Joon-ho (21, Stoke City), who were deployed in the sixth minute of the second half, combined for an additional goal to determine the 2-0 victory. Game 4, which brought Iraq to its home turf, was also responsible for the winning goal that Oh Hyun-kyu was deployed in the 14th minute of the second half and decided to win 2-1 in the 29th minute of the second half when the score was 1-1. In the fifth round of the away match in Kuwait on the 14th, Bae Joon-ho scored a winning goal 10 minutes after taking the ground instead of Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham), who needed conditioning after recovering from injury in the 19th minute of the second half when he was being chased 2-1.
Coach Hong’s mercenary skills are drawing attention because the difference in skills on the Asian stage has decreased compared to previous years. It is clear that Korea, which is full of European players, has built the strongest power in Asia, but when the opponent uses tactics different from predictions, it often struggled. The only stain is the Palestinian match. It faced a disappointing result of 0-0 as it failed to take out a card that could respond when the opponent used extreme defense and pressure 바카라사이트 as weapons.
Hong is vowing different results in the sixth away match against the Palestinians, who will move to Amman, Jordan, on Saturday. He has discovered cards for each position that can be released when the opponent team does not give up space. While Oh Hyun-kyu, a striker who Hong loves as a “joker” of reversal, is strong in bold penetration and shooting, Bae Jun-ho, a flanker, is also good at dribbling and ball-carrying. Midfielder Lee Hyun-joo (21), who made his debut immediately after wearing the Korean national flag in November, is also a resource that can display his best performance when the opponent team steps down.
It is also welcome that the strength of the bench that Hong is refining is stimulating the competition to become a starting member. “The starting lineup of the national team should not be fixed. If a new player comes in and does well, the existing player can sit on the bench at any time,” Hong’s remarks, which he warned, are gaining momentum in tandem with the replacement hit. It is a sign that expectations for the finals of the North-China World Cup are rising beyond the match against Palestine.