Oh Se-hoon (25, Machida Zelvia) is showing his presence in the Hong Myung-bo striker fight.
Oh Se-hoon made a strong impression by playing as a substitute in the second half in the first Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against the Palestinians at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday. He failed to score a goal, but threatened the Palestinian defense by banking on strong post play and header.
Most of Oh Se-hoon’s shining scenes came from his breathing with Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain). He connected the cross from Lee Kang-in with a strong header to create a scene close to scoring. He was disappointed that he was not blocked by the goalkeeper’s good defense or headed into the net, but his attack power in the second half was much better compared to the helpless first half.
Oh Se-hoon is a 193-centimeter-tall striker with high-quality header capability. Oh’s strength lies in his combination play with Lee Kang-in. The two are the main players of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup runner-up myth in Poland. At that time, Lee Kang-in was so outstanding that he was named the MVP of the tournament. Oh was a reliable supporter of Lee Kang-in. Lee Kang-in, who has good kicking ability, crossed the line towards Oh. Oh Se-hoon also scored two goals in the tournament, helping him as a clear option for offense.
Lee Kang-in is a player who distributes creative passes according to the movements of strikers, opposing wingers, and second-line strikers. He has the ability to solve it alone, but he is the type that shines more when he has a teammate with good movement.
In the first half of the Palestinian match, Lee Kang-in’s ball touch itself was small, and the movement of the surrounding striker was not good. In particular, striker Joo Min-kyu, who started, did not produce much scene on the front line. He was trapped in the Palestinian defensive block.
Oh was different. He shook the Palestinian defense line by aggressive physical struggle and created several opportunities, displaying extraordinary weight. 안전놀이터
Oh Se-hoon went through an ordeal after moving to Shimizu S-Pulse of the Japanese J-League in 2022. He fell into a long-term slump as if he couldn’t adapt to the Japanese stage, but after moving to Machida this year, he recovered his threatening offense and showed good performance from the beginning. Thanks to this, he joined the national team in May, and coach Hong Myung-bo also chose Oh Se-hoon.
Unlike Joo Min-gyu, who is in his mid-30s, Oh Se-hoon is in his 20s, who was born in 1999 and is enjoying his prime. With his stellar performance in Japan and his presence in the match against Palestine, Oh Se-hoon might be able to gain the upper hand in the competition to become a starting striker in Hong Myung-bo.