Golden left foot flash!→ As expected, ace Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min shone even without attacking points.
Jun 06, 2025
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South Korea's A national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, won 2-0 in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Iraq at Basra International Stadium in Iraq on the 6th. Kim Jin-kyu's winning goal in the 18th minute of the second half and Oh Hyun-kyu's additional goal in the 37th minute of the second half earned three points.
With the victory, South Korea ranked first in Group B, beating Jordan (16 points), with five wins and four draws and 19 points in the third qualifying round. He also widened the gap with third-place Iraq (12 points), confirming his advance to the finals of the North-China World Cup regardless of the remaining results against Kuwait. The record for consecutive finals, which began at the 1986 Mexico Games, has increased to 11.
South Korea played in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Oh Se-hoon (Machida) is at the forefront, and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) are at the second line. Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) worked together in the third term. Lee Tae-seok (Pohang), Kwon Kyung-won (Corpacan Club), Cho Yoo-min (Sharjah FC), and Seol Young-woo (Zvezda) were among the four backs. Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) defended the goal.
Iraq fought back with a 4-3-3 formation. Youssef Amin, Ali al-Hamadi, and Ali Jasim were at the forefront, while the midfield was formed by Ibrahim Bayesh, Amir al-Amari and Osama Rashid. The Four Bag was built by Levine Sulaka, Hussein Ali, Zayed Tashin and Merchas Doski. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Zara Hasan.
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The problem was injury. Lee Kang-in fell to the ground due to an injury during the second half of the Oman match. I was carried off the ground by the medical staff. Lee Kang-in, who left the stadium on crutches after the game, was unable to play against Jordan as a result of the close examination. Lee Dong-kyung and Yang Min-hyuk worked hard to replace the vacancy against Jordan, but they could not fill Lee Kang-in's presence.
Lee Kang-in did not miss out in June. Coach Hong had put forward his performance as an important criterion for the A-match selection list in June. As a result, a large number of European players from the English Championship, who had not played for about a month, were eliminated. Lee Kang-in was also concerned about his performance. He was behind in Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) main game and could not play much. The last match was May 11, and he had not played for about a month. Nevertheless, Lee Kang-in could not be excluded. Coach Hong also said, `Playing time is very important for a player. However, the national team should look beyond that. At this point, the overall role that could be played was combined and judged. It's a difficult time for those players as well, but we can certainly play a part because it's an important time for away games," he said, stressing that he is a player who has a role in the national team.
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Lee Kang-in was also absent from the scene of the first goal in the second half. In the 18th minute of the second half, Seol Young-woo, who caught a long cross from the left side of the Iraqi side, handed it over to Lee Kang-in on the right side of the penalty box. Instead of finishing himself, Lee Kang-in connected to Kim Jin-kyu, who was in a better position. Kim Jin-kyu's shot shook the Iraqi net as it was.
Lee Kang-in, who called for full-time afterwards, led the attack on the Korean national team, where Son Heung-min was away, if he steadily created chances from the front. There were no offensive points in the game, but the record also showed his performance with an 88% pass success rate, two key passes, two shots and two dribbles. It was a game where you could feel the power of the Korean national team's attack, including Lee Kang-in.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
