Coach Hong Myung-bo won the third qualifying round against Kuwait, and he is happy to win the first match of World Cup preparation, not the last, and will give young players a chance in the future.
Jun 10, 2025
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It was the smile of Korean A team coach Hong Myung-bo. The 'Hong Myung-bo' made it to the World Cup in front of a home fan. In front of 41,911 people, he fired 'Goal Firecrackers' South Korea beat Kuwait 4-0 in the final Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th. South Korea (6 wins and 4 draws) completed 'Unbeaten' in the final match of the third qualifying round. This marks Korea's third unbeaten finish in the final qualifying round. In addition, South Korea remained the only team 'unbeaten' out of 18 Asian countries to participate in the series. In addition, South Korea finished the final qualifying round first for the fourth time ever. South Korea previously ranked first in the final qualifying round for the 1990 Italy, 1998 France, and 2010 South Africa.
Hong Myung-bo, who played a large number of 2000 students, including Bae Joon-ho (22, Stokestee), Lee Tae-seok (Pohang), Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan, 23), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk, 24), showed the best performance in the final qualifying round. South Korea, which took the lead in the 30th minute of the first half with Hwang In-beom's corner kick hitting the opponent's defender, scored a goal in the second half.
Lee Kang-in, who received Bae Joon-ho's pass in the 6th minute of the second half, scored. He scored three offensive points in three straight A matches. South Korea put in a wedge shot three minutes later. This time, it was Oh Hyun-kyu. Bae Joon-ho received Hwang In-beom's cross with a header, and Oh Hyun-kyu solved it 'One Shot One Kill'. South Korea widened the gap to 3-0. Oh Hyun-kyu watched his second consecutive game 'Taste of Goal' following the Iraq match. In the 27th minute of the second half, Lee Jae-sung (Minutes) decorated the grand finale.
In a post-match press conference, Hong said, `Before the game, I told the players that today is not the last game, but the first game I'm going to play after I advance to the World Cup. I'm glad I won my first game. I will congratulate you and say thank you."
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▶Before the game, I told the players that today was not the last game, but the first game after advancing to the World Cup. I'm glad I won my first game. Congratulations and thank you.
-What is the roadmap for preparing for the World Cup.
▶The results of the upcoming warm-up match are important. The important thing is that the World Cup is a year from now. No one can predict the situation a year from now. Today's game is an important and great strength for our team. Of course, I have plans for warm-up matches in September, October, November, and March next year, and the young players did better than I thought through their experience in today's game, in a good opportunity today. The best is yet to be determined for our team. Veteran is the mainstay, and it is right to lead the team in the future, but young players who support it should come out. In that respect, the young players' performance is encouraging. It will have a positive impact on the team.
-I used three-back during the game.
▶It's a short time, but I prepared it. It can vary depending on the player's composition. It's one of the plans we're preparing for in the future.
-It's been about a year since I was in charge of the team.
▶There is a difference now from when it started a year ago. Since February last year, the name has been mentioned as a candidate for the national team, and that was the beginning. While playing from September to June last year, I learned the characteristics and characteristics of the players. I also understood the relationship with the players. It was time to draw a sketch of what direction Korean soccer will play and how it will play in the World Cup. What is important in the future is which players will maintain their performance next year. I missed this part 11 years ago as a result. All the players were tested, but the players were the only resources to choose from as a result. Now, we observe a much wider variety of players, K Leaguers, and European Leaguers than then, and which players will maintain their form next year is an important point of selection. Some players are new to the game today, and I want to compliment the two central defenders. I ordered a little more aggressive play, but I showed more aggressive performance in the build-up process than the team I am now. Kong Won-jae was also good, and Jeon Jin-woo also scored one goal and helped 1-1. There is a reason why the form is good.
-The happiest and most difficult moments are.
▶ The happy moment was when he confirmed his advance to the World Cup finals against Iraq. Our goal was to advance to the World Cup. I was happy to achieve this. It's hard to say because it's a moment. It was like that every moment. It was in terms of both the economy and the outside. I came today with a sense of goal that I should achieve this with one goal like the team.
-Bae Jun-ho did a good job.
▶ Bae Jun-ho went to Europe in recognition of his skills in the K League. Young players such as Um Ji-sung and Yang Min-hyuk are playing in Europe. There is an upward trend in it. In this preliminary round, I looked carefully considering the overall condition of the players. I communicated with Olympic team coach Lee Min-sung to discuss Bae Jun-ho's playing time. They gave us a message that we could call if we needed it. He was briefed on his condition by the Olympic team, and Moon Seon-min was not able to participate due to a warning, so he called him without regret. As a result, he played well. I think I played 45 minutes against Australia and was well prepared.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
