Son Heung-min's 50th A-match goal + Oh Se-hoon and Bae Jun-ho's consecutive goals + Lee Hyun-joo and Lee Tae-seok's debut'South Korea's 3-1 complete victory over Kuwait'4 consecutive wins + Group B lead'

Nov 15, 2024

It was a perfect victory.

South Korea won 3-1 with consecutive goals by Oh Se-hoon (Machida), Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City) in the fifth Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Kuwait at 11 p.m. on the 14th (Korea time). South Korea won four consecutive games and led Group B with 13 points. In the third qualifying round, the first and second places in each group will win a ticket to the World Cup finals. Through this victory, he took a big step closer to advancing to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time.

Attention was focused on whether Son Heung-min will be selected or not. Son Heung-min failed to join the A-match in October due to a hamstring injury. Son Heung-min has since repeatedly played and missed his team. Fortunately, he recently played in Aston Villa (4-1 wins), Galatasaray (2-3 losses), and Ipswich (1-2 losses). In particular, he played full time for the first time since his return against Ipswich.

Son Heung-min joined the national team on the 12th, but he is in a cautious situation. Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou said "We want a healthy Son Heung-min. I hope Son Heung-min will maintain good physical condition and contribute to each team"We asked for adjustment of the playing time. Coach Hong also plans to protect Son Heung-min as much as possible through selection and concentration. He said in an interview, `I never mean to overdo it in my current condition. I'll judge Son Heung-min as an efficient way to use him," he stressed.

Hong's choice was a starter. The most important game, the most important card, was put forward for the first time. As he had already played the league game, he decided that there was no problem with starting.

Hong pulled out a 4-2-3-1 card. Compared to the last Iraq match, only the left wing and one spot have changed. Son Heung-min was put in place of Bae Joon-ho. Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) duo stepped up to the left and right wings. Oh Se-hoon stood at the front line, and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) was the central attacking midfielder.

Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) were in the third line. Lee Myung-jae (Ulsan), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Cho Yoo-min (Sharja) and Seol Young-woo (Zvezda) made the four backs. Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) defended the goal.

Bae Joon-ho (Ulsan), Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk), Jung Woo-young (Unyon Berlin), Lee Hyun-joo (Hanover), Hong Hyun-seok (Mines) and Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) will start on the bench.

There was a cautious atmosphere in the beginning. Kuwait shot first. Sami attempted a right footed shot from the right side of the box in a mixed situation in the fifth minute of the first half. It went over the goalpost.

After this shot, it was a one-sided trend for South Korea. The first goal was scored in the early hours. Hwang In-beom crossed from the right side of the 9th minute. Oh Se-hoon jumped high and made a fantastic header. It was a wonderful goal that the Kuwaiti goalkeeper was stuck in. Oh Se-hoon scored two consecutive A-match goals.

In the 12th minute, Oh Se-hoon shook Kuwait's net again with an exquisite right foot shot. However, it was recognized as a foul in the previous scuffle scene. In the following situation, Oh Se-hoon made another effective shot. Lee Myung-jae's cross was connected with a header. That was weak.

16 minutes of extra goal opportunity was created. Lee Jae-sung stabbed Son Heung-min, who was penetrating into the center after passing the return pass with Oh Se-hoon. In the process of Son Heung-min holding the ball and entering, he tripped over Kuwait's defense. The referee declared a penalty. Son Heung-min stepped up as a kicker. Deceiving the goalkeeper, he calmly succeeded on the other side. 50th goal of the A-match. Son Heung-min was on par with Hwang Sun-hong (50 goals) as a legendary striker. He tied for second place with the most goals in the A-match history of Korean men's soccer.

South Korea bothered Kuwait's defense with strong pressure. He continued to create chances by taking the ball away from a high position. After the 26th minute interception, Son Heung-min attempted a powerful shot in front of the arc. Slightly over the crossbar.

Kuwait fought back. 34 min Alasedi attempted a mid-range shot. He missed the right side of the post. 39 min South Korea missed the opportunity to score an extra goal. Lee Kang-in handed it over to Son Heung-min on the left. Son Heung-min stabbed Hwang In-beom, who was overlapping. Hwang In-beom scored a neat cross, and Lee Jae-sung scored a header. Unfortunately, he came out after being hit by the crossbar.

South Korea's offensive continued. In the 42nd minute, Lee Kang-in attempted a free kick in a good position. I crossed the crossbar. South Korea has dominated Kuwait all the time. Three minutes of extra time was given. No more goals were scored, and the first half ended 2-0. Although Kuwait is a weak team, it was a near perfect first half considering that it was a tricky Middle East away.

As soon as the second half began, South Korea created another decisive opportunity. Son Heung-min stabbed Lee Jae-sung, who was digging to the left. Lee Jae-sung promptly sent a ground ball cross to the center. Lee Kang-in connected with a shot, but it didn't fit properly because it caught Kuwait's defense's foot.

In the 9th minute, Seol Young-woo scored a sharp cross. It hit Oh's head, but it was offside. Kuwait stepped up its attack in the 12th minute by sending Majed instead of al-Dafiri.

15 min Kuwait scored one goal back. Majed, who was replaced, broke through and crossed his left foot. Daham made a powerful right footed shot after trapping nicely. It went beyond goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo and led to a score.

18 min South Korea used two replacement cards. Except Son Heung-min and Lee Myung-jae, Bae Jun-ho and Lee Tae-seok (Pohang) were added. Son Heung-min was all set up. Bae Joon-ho, who performed well in the A-match in October, filled the spot. The left line completely changed as Lee Tae-seok went in. Lee Tae-seok made his A-match debut.

In the 21st minute, Lee Jae-sung broke through the center and connected to Lee Kang-in, who was free on the right. Lee Kang-in attempted a powerful left-footed shot after beating two defenders. He was blocked by the goalkeeper. Oh Se-hoon attempted a header on the ensuing corner kick, but was blocked by the defense.

25 min Kuwait took the lead. Three people were replaced at once. 28 min South Korea scored its third goal. Hwang In-beom stabbed an exquisite pass to Bae Joon-ho, who was penetrating. Bae Joon-ho shook Kuwait's net with a right-footed shot after beating one defense after a nice touch. It was a score that silenced Kuwait, which had been gaining momentum.

South Korea immediately removed Oh Se-hoon and added Oh Hyun-kyu. Oh Hyun-kyu fired a powerful right foot shot after the interception as soon as he came in. Slightly over the crossbar.

30 min South Korea made a fantastic counterattack. Jo Yu-min took part in the attack in a surprise move. Cho Yoo-min connected to Lee Jae-sung, and Lee Jae-sung broke through and handed the ball to Lee Kang-in on the right. Lee Kang-in attempted a left-footed shot after beating the defense. But it was weak.

Hong made an additional 35 minutes of replacement. Lee Jae-sung and Hwang In-beom were excluded, and Lee Hyun-joo and Baek Seung-ho were put in. This was Lee Hyun-joo's A-match debut. We had a 40-minute crisis. Kuwait's header hit the post in a set piece situation.

43 min Kuwait counterattacked, but Kim Min-jae showed a fantastic cover with an amazing sprint. Five minutes of extra time was given. Baek Seung-ho kicked a free kick obtained by Lee Hyun-joo. Slightly over the net.

For the rest of the game, South Korea finished off a 3-1 victory with good time.

South Korea will play its sixth game against the Palestinians at the Amman International Stadium in Jordan on Wednesday. Palestine, which is at war with Israel, has been disenfranchised from hosting its home games. The Palestinians have been on the 'float' since the second qualifying round. In the third qualifying round, they played the second game (1-3 loss) against Jordan and the fourth game (2-2 draws) against Kuwait in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Doha, Qatar, respectively.

This time, the game will be held in Jordan. Korea has good memories. The match will be held again at the same stadium that sank Jordan on the 10th of last month. Hong Myung-bo won 2-0 with consecutive goals by Lee Jae-sung and Oh Hyun-kyu, although Son Heung-min (Tottenham) failed to join due to a hamstring injury. South Korea, which lost face with a 0-0 draw against Palestine in the first round at home, is going to avenge itself.

vanbasten@sportschosun.com