Son Heung-min bench Oh Hyun-kyu 1 to 1 miss → EPL Hines, fantastic header goal...Disappointing Hong Myung-bo 01 Second Half Promises

Sep 10, 2025

AP Yonhap News

In the end, the first half of the match was mixed in determination.

Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) missed a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper, and Raul Jimenez (Fullam), who plays in the English Premier League (EPL), scored the goal with a fantastic header.

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the A national team, continued the experiment with a completely different team, with Son Heung-min (LAFC) starting from the bench. South Korea finished 0-1 behind Mexico in a friendly match at Geodyspark in Nashville, Tennessee, on the 10th (Korea time).

Hong operated the 3-4-3 system. Compared to the U.S. match, nine players were replaced except for Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan). Instead of Son Heung-min, Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) was positioned at the one-top and took the lead in attack. Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City) were placed on the side.

Jens Kastroff started the A-match for the first time as a defensive midfielder. As the first foreign-born mixed-race national team player, he made his A-match debut with the national flag on the 7th against the U.S. The first time is against Mexico. He is paired with Park Yong-woo (Al Ain). Lee Myung-jae and Kim Moon-hwan, Daejeon Hana Citizen 'Duo', stood at left and right wingbacks. The three-back consisted of Lee Han-beom and Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima), centering on Kim Min-jae.

Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) defended the goal. Kim Seung-gyu disappeared after starting in the first group match of the Qatar Asian Cup against Bahrain on January 15 last year. There was a long gap due to two ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee. He returned to the A national team after 20 months, signaling competition with Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan), and received a chance again against Mexico.

Mexico took the lead at the start of the game. Fortunately, he did not allow a run. Kim Min-jae blocked Jimenez's shot in the fourth minute of the first half. In Mexico's ensuing offensive, Kim Seung-gyu blocked Erik Lira (Cruce Azul)'s shot.

Karstroff changed the tide. After stealing the ball in the 9th minute of the first half, he defended the ball even with his opponent's foul play. His ball was connected to Lee Kang-in. Lee Kang-in's pass headed for Kim Moon-hwan. Kim Moon-hwan's cutback was caught on Bae Jun-ho's toes. His shot turned away from the goal.

Hong Myung-bo has caught the tide. In the 14th minute of the first half, Oh Hyun-kyu hit a left-footed shot after digging into the gap between two opposing defenders, but the ball was caught on the goalkeeper's fingertips. In the 19th minute of the first half, Oh Hyun-kyu took a decisive opportunity.

Lee Kang-in's picturesque outfront pass broke through the offside line and connected to Oh Hyun-kyu. Oh Hyun-kyu dribbled and sped away. There was only an opposing goalkeeper in front of him. But his left footed shot went off the post.

National soccer team ahead of the Mexico match

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Coach Hong Myung-bo (center), Son Heung-min (left), and Jung Sang-bin of the national soccer team are training at Geodys Park in Nashville, Tennessee on the 9th (Korea Standard Time), ahead of the second A match this month against Mexico, a strong North and Central American team. September 9, 2025 = Yoon Dong-jin is hugging Son Heung-min, who will be replaced in a friendly match between South Korea and the U.S. at Harrison Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on the 6th (local time). 2025.9.7

He said it was an opportunity after a crisis, a crisis after an opportunity. The unwritten rule also continued in reality. Mexico scored in the 22nd minute of the first half. Jimenez responded with a header to Rodrigo Ueskas' cross (Copenhagen). The ball went over Kim Seung-gyu and was sucked into the goal.

No more goals were scored in the first half. The two teams clashed wildly and promised the second half. Mexico is stronger than the United States. Mexico's FIFA ranking is 13th, two places above the United States and 10 places above South Korea.

Coach Hong plans to deploy starting resources that were activated in the U.S. match, including Son Heung-min, as a substitute in the second half. Starting with Son Heung-min, Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Chun), Lee Jae-sung (Mines), Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City), Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Bin), Seol Young-woo (Zvezda), Kim Joo-sung (Hiroshima), and Lee Han-beom (Ulsan) started.

In the case of Lee Jae-sung, he was called off due to a hamstring (back muscle of the thigh) injury and returned to his team.

When Son Heung-min steps on the ground, it becomes a new history. Son Heung-min, who has played 135 A matches so far, sets a tie for the most A matches in Korean football ever. 'Legend' goes shoulder to shoulder with Cha Bum-keun Hong Myung-bo.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.