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| 스포츠조선 DB |
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| APYonhap News |
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Will he get in the way of Son Heung-min or will he get revenge.
The Paraguay national team announced the A-match list for October on the official website of the Paraguay Football Association on the 4th (Korea time). Paraguay will face Japan on the 10th and South Korea on the 14th during the A-match period in October. The Paraguay Football Association will play two trials in Asia as part of preparations for the 2026 World Cup. For the international match, Gustavo Alfaro announced that he had called up a total of 26 players for the national team.
Paraguay is considered a dark horse in South America. The FIFA ranking is 37th, lower than that of South Korea, but the unique skills and stickiness of South American countries stand out. He has already confirmed his advance to the finals in sixth place in the South American qualifying round. Although some players, including Julio Enciso, were excluded from the national team due to injuries, ace Miguel Almiron once again made South Korea nervous.
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Almiron made his professional debut with Kulub Cerro Porteño in the past and made a name for Atlanta United. Since then, he played for Newcastle and played on the English Premier League (EPL) stage, and returned to the U.S. stage in the 2025 season, wearing an Atlanta uniform again. He is a player with a high level of activity, kick, and breakthrough. Almiron previously threatened South Korea in October 2022 by scoring multiple goals in a friendly match against South Korea ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. South Korea overcame the crisis of defeat with Jung Woo-young's equalizer at the time. At that time, Son Heung-min also scored the first goal.
Almiron, the danger target, will meet South Korea's captain and ace Son Heung-min first before the A-match against South Korea. Almiron's team, Atlanta, is set to play against LA FC at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on the 6th. Both players are scheduled to play their last league game ahead of the A-match period. It may be a rather bland match because it is a showdown between LA FC, where Son Heung-min and Buanga, who are in good condition, and Atlanta, which fell to the bottom of the East, but Almiron's performance is noteworthy.
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| APYonhap News |
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Meanwhile, South Korea is also expected to do its best against Paraguay as this October's A match is a step in the journey to the 2026 North-China World Cup finals. South Korea scored two goals against the U.S. in September to secure a 2-0 victory. It also turned the game around against Mexico with consecutive points after losing the first point. He allowed an equalizer just before the end, but his performance was impressive, pushing the 14th-ranked powerhouse in the FIFA rankings to the end.
In addition, a special commemorative event for Son Heung-min will be held against Paraguay, which is expected to draw more attention to Almiron's performance. The Korea Football Association will hold a special event to commemorate Son Heung-min (LAFC)'s achievement of the most A matches (137 games) in history in a friendly match against Paraguay at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 14th.
Son Heung-min, who made his A-match debut in a warm-up match against Syria on 30 December 2010, played in three World Cups and scored 53 goals in 136 matches, including a total of nine national team coaches. If one of the two A-match games is played during this October, it will set a new record for the most A-match appearances by Korean male players with 137 games. The commemorative event is expected to be a place to reflect on the value of Son Heung-min's dedication to the national flag and share the meaning with fans. Former coach Cha Bum-keun, an iconic figure and legend of Korean soccer, will visit the Seoul World Cup Stadium and deliver the commemorative uniform directly to Son Heung-min, creating a meaningful moment that connects generations and generations. Attention is focusing on what Paraguay will produce in the game, which can be a meaningful day for Son Heung-min.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
