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| Left rocking Bae Jun-ho |
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| A match between South Korea and Jordan in the third Asian qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA U.S. World Cup at Amman International Stadium in Jordan on the 10th (local time). Oh Hyun-kyu is delighted with Bae Joon-ho in front of cheering Korean residents after scoring his team's second goal and his national team debut goal. 2024.10.11 |
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"He is an athlete who always does more than his part when given a chance."
After Bae Joon-ho (21, Stoke City) was named on the list of two consecutive Jordan-Iraq games in Hong Myung-bo on the 30th of last month, Suwon FC coach Kim Eun-joong expressed his firm belief.
Coach Kim, who achieved a semifinal feat with Bae Joon-ho at last year's Under-20 World Cup and put Suwon FC, who took the helm of the professional league this year, on the top split, is an active leader who knows best how to use Bae Jun-ho. With Son Heung-min unable to join the national team due to a hamstring injury, head coach Hong Myung-bo had in mind Bae Joon-ho, who was born in 2003, along with Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-sung, and Um Ji-sung, as a substitute for Son Heung-min. However, it was not clear if 21-year-old Bae Jun-ho would have an opportunity.
Hwang Hee-chan, who started Son Heung-min's vacancy in the 6th minute of the second half in the away match against Jordan on the 10th, collapsed due to the opponent's tackle in the first half, and Um Ji-sung, who was put in the position, withdrew due to a knee injury in the 3rd minute of the second half, and Hong Myung-bo's missing cards in the desperate crisis were Bae Joon-ho, born in 2003, and Oh Hyun-kyu, born in 2001. Bae Jun-ho, who appeared in the dark cloud, was literally 'light'. Bae Joon-ho constantly flashed from the new left side, where Lee Kang-in's offensive path was blocked by the opponent's dense defense. The forward pass that led to Oh Hyun-kyu's net goal in the 23rd minute of the second half, followed by a soft dribble from the left side in the 34th minute of the second half, and the shot that penetrated into the center of the opponent's defense gap was brilliant.
According to soccer statistics media Footmob, Bae Joon-ho literally performed perfect, including one assist for 45 minutes, 100% pass success rate (29 out of 29), 100% key pass success rate (2 out of 2), 100% dribble success rate (2 out of 2), 100% ball competition success rate (3 out of 3), and one effective shot.
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| Suwon FC coach Kim Eun-joong and senior coach Kim Tae-min, who visited the Stoke City stadium of his favorite student Bae Jun-ho last winter. |
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Bae Jun-ho, who reported his debut and debut goal in the fifth Group C match (7-0 wins) against Singapore (7-0 wins) in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup, did not miss the opportunity. As soon as he received the opportunity, he led South Korea to a 2-0 complete victory with his first A-match help record.
It was as Kim Eun-joong said. Coach Kim, who visited Stoke City, where Bae Jun-ho is playing, with head coach Kim Tae-min last winter, said, "(Bae) Jun-ho's game is always watching with interest"He is a player who can use any position on the offensive side, such as an attacking midfielder and a left wing forward, but he can best show his strengths, especially in the left wing forward." He praised the player as having the ability to "one-on-one or the part that overpowers the opponent and breaks the line effectively, and the ability to break the dense defense."
Coach Kim, who was the best striker in the K-League, awakened Bae Jun-ho's multi-talented talent with the "1st place in the high school ranking". Bae Joon-ho said "I was originally an attacking midfielder, but after meeting coach Kim Eun-joong, I became a multiplayer, and I played more as a left winger in Stoke City." It was clear why head coach Kim proposed 'poison (position change)'. When I asked an offensive midfielder to be the first in the high school rankings, I didn't hear if it was a condition problem. "To make use of Jun-ho's strengths, I thought about where I would fit best, and I suggested a left wing forward ahead of the Portugal warm-up match." It was judged that it was not easy to break through the center and create space and opportunities in modern soccer, where the center is tight, although space is needed to save Bae Joon-ho's features such as a one-on-one breakthrough and dribble. Coach Kim said "Junho "I've never seen that position before." 'It's a choice to make use of your strengths. Aggressively, he persuaded him to try a free roll as he moved between the side and the center. Jun-ho did a really good job in the game. After that, we didn't say anything about the position"I looked back.
Coach Kim had already predicted that Bae Joon-ho would show enough ability against Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan and Iraq. "He did well in the warm-up match against Saudi Arabia in the final qualifying match for the Paris Olympics. He also met South America and Europe at the Under-20 World Cup, but he is not restricted by any country or player he meets. Above all, the time has already passed. It is a player recognized by Stoke City players and fans. Don't worry. A player who always does more than his part when given the opportunity." It was according to my teacher's belief. In the midst of Korean soccer, Bae Jun-ho did his job. He has already scored one goal and one assist in three A matches.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
