Even without Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan, the Korean national soccer team is still shining. The future ace who received full trust from the coach, Tang A who returned after five years, and the young lion who received attention from all are all qualified to be heroes in the match against Iraq.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play at 8 p.m. on the 15th at Yongin Mir Stadium in Gyeonggi Province against Iraq in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup.
Hong Myung-bo, who won 2-0 in Jordan on the 10th, is ranked first in Group B with two wins and one draw (7 points) in the third qualifying round for the World Cup. Although they are tied with Iraq in points, they remain in first place with a 4-2 goal difference.
A pre-official press conference was held at Yongin Mir Stadium from 3:30 p.m. on the 14th, a day before the game. Coach Hong Myung-bo and Kim Min-jae appeared in front of the reporters.
On Lee Kang-in and Bae Joon-ho, Hong said, “Lee Kang-in is always under close contact with opponents. However, there is no doubt about his performance. It is important to find a way to overcome the pressure. Bae is growing very fast. I am still thinking about it because it is the coach’s role to dress the players appropriately.”
With Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan both out of the national team due to injuries, the key in the attack was of course Lee Kang-in. However, he showed difficulty in defending close to the opponent against Jordan on the 10th. Coach Hong nevertheless trusted him.
Hong also praised Bae for his second time on the team since June. Bae’s talent has been tremendous, receiving the Player of the Year award from the club in his first season as a member of the English second division Stoke City last season.
In the 6th minute of the 10th, Um Ji-sung, who replaced Hwang Hee-chan, also left due to injury, but Bae Joon-ho and Oh Hyun-kyu, who came in together, combined for additional goals. In the 23rd minute of the second half, Oh Hyun-kyu, 안전놀이터 who received Bae Joon-ho’s pass from the left, shook the net and gave South Korea a 2-0 victory.
Meanwhile, the Korea Football Association said on the 12th that Hwang Hee-chan and Um Ji-sung cannot play in the home game against Iraq due to injuries. Hwang Hee-chan and Um Ji-sung were replaced during the match after being tackled by the opponent in the third away game of the third qualifying round against Jordan on the 10th. From the national team’s point of view, two strikers who entered the left side in a row are injured.
In response, Lee Seung-woo and Moon Seon-min were selected as substitutes. For Lee, the last A match against Iran on June 11, 2019 was his last A match. In the meantime, he could shake off the failure to call up the national team in the match against Iraq. Coach Hong also hardly took his eyes off Lee Seung-woo’s group, as he seemed to be watching Lee Seung-woo particularly intensively during training.
These are the players who faced the Iraq match with great expectations.