'Hong Myung-bo, who revealed his hope with a smile'Our players overcame difficulties such as Son Heung-min's absence"
Oct 11, 2024
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The A national team team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, left the gate of the arrival hall at Incheon International Airport at around 6 p.m. on the 11th. Some fans gathered at the arrival hall applauded and welcomed Hong Myung-bo.
As soon as the third Group B match against Jordan in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup held at Amman International Stadium in Jordan at 11 p.m. on the 10th, the team, which flew for about 12 hours on a chartered plane, looked tired, but the tiredness could not hide its smile.
South Korea overcame the unilateral support of the Jordanian home crowd and won 2-0 with consecutive goals by Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) in the 38th minute of the first half and Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) in the 23rd minute of the second half.
In February, he lost 0-2 to Jordan in the semifinals of the Qatar Asian Cup and regained the lead in Group B in the third qualifying round of the World Cup.
The national team, which drew 0-0 with Palestine last month and won 3-1 against Oman, won two wins, one draw and seven points in three games to bring down Jordan, who had only four points. If he wins again in the fourth match against Iraq, which will take place at Yongin Mir Stadium on Saturday, he will be able to establish a de facto solo system.
In a standing interview at the arrival hall, Hong, who expressed hope for Korean soccer three months after taking office, said, "It was a very important game in the World Cup qualifying round. I focused on winning, and I prepared like that. I think I won because the players did well. Of course, Son Heung-min was also out and had difficulties overall, but our players seem to have overcome those things well"It's a pleasure.
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South Korea, which had no clue in the chaotic atmosphere, has never given up the lead to Jordan since Lee Jae-sung scored the first goal with a header from Seol Young-woo's cross in front of the goal in the 38th minute of the first half. The importance of the first goal can be reaffirmed.
Oh Hyun-kyu, who replaced Joo Min-kyu early in the second half, scored the winning goal and his A-match debut goal with a cool right-footed shot in the 23rd minute. Oh Hyeon-gyu clearly left an impact that could be called 'Discovery of Jordanian expeditions'
Coach Hong said, `I was embarrassed because two people were injured, but Bae Jun-ho and Oh Hyun-kyu, who were put in at the end, did a good job"It went well overall, including the balance aspect. The second game was better than the first game, and the match against Jordan was much better than the second game. Since there is still a game left, I think we need to prepare well for the rest of the Iraq game without thinking about winning against Jordan from now on."
Coach Hong went on to say that it was a revenge match before the game, saying, `It must have been burdensome to lose the last match against Jordan.' What was more important was to play what we wanted to play. I think our players did a better job than I thought."
As for the condition of Hwang Hee-chan Um Ji-sung, who was on a flight to Korea despite his injury, "It is very difficult." The first draft of what to do in the future has come out, and I think we will have to discuss how to do it separately through today's meeting."
After taking office, Hong pledged to make a team ready for the future. Coach Hong cited Oh Hyun-kyu, Bae Joon-ho, Seol Young-woo and others as 'future resources' and "We must constantly watch them grow in the future." Everyone is doing well in their team, and I think it's important for the future of Korean soccer to make that part a win-win for the national team as well."
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
