'It was definitely a drone' Iraq expresses concern over the appearance of unidentified objects during training preparations for the Korean War" (Middle East Media)
Oct 14, 2024
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Middle East sports media 'Winwin' reported citing sources that the training of the Iraqi national team, which is preparing for the fourth Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against South Korea at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 13th (Korea time), has been temporarily suspended at a training site in Suwon, South Korea on the 15th.
The `winwin' Iraq team conducted a training session with a mix of physical and tactical aspects today. The national team's coaches are busy to improve the physical strength of the players`In particular, Iraqi coach Jesús Casas spoke for a while to convey his thoughts to the players.'
"Winwin" went on to discover an unidentified object approaching the training ground by team officials during training. It later became clear that it was a drone. This problem caused some disruption in training. As a result, the training was temporarily suspended and then resumed."
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Meanwhile, Casas played a training session with 24 players, including key striker Ayman Hussein, who was suspected of being injured, and key defender Levine Sulaka, who returned from the suspension.
'Winwin' said on the 13th that defender Sulaka, who plays for K-League FC Seoul and knows well about Korean players, will be the key to winning the match against Korea and the hope of coach Casas. He chose defenders who aim to protect Iraq in an atmosphere that is difficult to overwhelm due to the objective power of the two teams as key players. Sulaka played three K-League games for four months from February to June this year.
South Korea won 2-0 away to Jordan on the 10th and is unbeaten in three consecutive Asian qualifiers. With two wins, one draw and seven points, he is in the lead by beating Iraq, which has the same points, by two goals. Iraq beat the Palestinians 1-0 at home on the same day. If South Korea wins on the day, it can further solidify its lead and cross the fifth ridge of advancing to the World Cup finals.
A national team coach Hong Myung-bo lifted Hwang Hee-chan Um Ji-sung, who emerged side by side in the match against Jordan, and replaced Lee Seung-woo and Moon Sun-min. It is the first time in five years that Lee Seung-woo has been selected for the national team.
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
