While captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is in poor physical condition, ace Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) must break the trend of his silence for five consecutive games in order for Hong Myung-bo to cross the ninth ridge of the 2026 North-China World Cup finals. If Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who was praised by Son Heung-min as the “Korean version of Zinedine Zidane,” helps Lee Kang-in through an awl pass, the shortcut to the finals is expected to open naturally.
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who leads the Korean national soccer team, said in an official press conference held at the Kempinski Hotel in Amman, Jordan, on the 18th (Korea time), “We prepared something different from the first match (0-0 draw) against Palestine on September 5. We will finish the third qualifying round with a humble attitude of the final of each game,” adding, “I am somewhat tired, but I will focus on the last training.”
Team Korea will have an away match against Palestine in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the North-China World Cup at 11 p.m. on Sunday at Amman International Stadium in Jordan. If Korea wins the match in a neutral zone due to safety concerns, it will maintain a gap of more than five points with Jordan and Iraq (eight points or more), which are ranking second in the group. With two more games to go, Korea will be able to secure a foothold in qualifying for the finals, which will be given up to the second place in the group.
However, the captain still needs careful management. Son, who is recovering from his thigh injury, played 63 minutes in the match against Kuwait on Wednesday last week, but has to rest for only four days before playing again. “We need to protect Son as he is in a situation where he repeatedly recovers from injury,” Hong said after beating Kuwait 3-1.
After all, Lee Kang-in’s role is important. Lee focused on his individual talents rather than keeping pace with his teammates against Kuwait. He beat the defender with his unique trick moves and hit a shot, but one was blocked by the goalkeeper and the other three missed the goal. Lee, who had scored four goals in six matches in the second qualifying round, ended up scoring no goals in five matches in the third. 토토사이트
To this end, Hwang In-beom, a “special helper,” will support the ace. Hwang, who helped Oh Se-hoon (Machida Zelvia) score the first goal with a cross delivery 10 minutes into the first half of the last match, even gave assist to Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City)’s wedge goal with a through pass in the 29th minute of the second half when the team was trailing 2-1. “It reminded me of Zidane (a legendary French soccer player),” Son said after the match.
KBSN soccer commentator Kim Dae-gil said, “Since there is a high possibility that Palestine will fall down, Lee Kang-in’s role in destroying defense through personal tactics is important.” “Son Heung-min is pulling defense, Hwang In-beom is actively moving, securing Lee Kang-in’s offensive space. He will overwhelm the opponent as he is getting more and more hit by team teamwork.”