Coach Hong Myung-bo did not play well in midfield despite winning two consecutive games, and he was satisfied that he did not lose a point.
Nov 18, 2025
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It was a disappointment for director Hong Myung-bo. Hong Myung-bo won the last A match in 2025. South Korea won 1-0 with Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna)'s winning goal in a friendly match against Africa's 'Kangho' Ghana at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 18th. It was a long breath. There were trials but no failures. Hong Myung-bo made it to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time in June.
It switched to the North Korea-China World Cup finals system in September. He recorded one win and one draw in the away game in the U.S., one win and one loss last month, and two consecutive wins in two straight A matches in November. Hong Myung-bo defeated Bolivia 2-0 on the 14th. Ghana also won on this day, and was placed in the 'Port 2' on its own. This is the first time Korea has been in Port 2 at the World Cup. The chances of belonging to that good group in the draw increased.
South Korea also succeeded in avenging the 2022 Qatar World Cup. At that time, they clashed in the second game, but lost 2-3. Cho Kyu-sung (Mit Willan) used a new era of his first multi-goal in the Korean World Cup, but failed to stop Mohamed Kudus (Tottenham).
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A frustrating pattern continued. South Korea failed to solve the game in the midfield and hit only one shot in the first half. Coach Hong changed the atmosphere in the second half by putting in Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk) and Seo Min-woo (Gangwon). In the end, it paid off in the 18th minute of the second half. Lee Tae-seok, who participated in the attack, scored the winning goal by pushing a left-footed cross from Lee Kang-in from the right with his head. South Korea's replacement Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) made a penalty kick, but unfortunately missed it. South Korea won a valuable victory by blocking Ghana's offensive well. It was a clean sheet for three consecutive A matches and three consecutive games.
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-The general evaluation of the game is.
▶After today's game, all this year's warm-up matches have been completed. Thank you to the players, staff, and fans who came to the stadium for a year. I achieved my goal of victory in November. It was a short goal, but I want to say thank you for what I achieved. In the overall game, the first half didn't go smoothly. The midfield play didn't go well. I modified the second half. I think I played well by changing members. It's close to the play I'm trying to play. The World Cup finals will be held after the warm-up match in March next year, and players will now have to have a tough season in their team. You have to maintain a good performance without any major injuries. We also need to observe and manage more closely.
-It's not going well at the beginning of the game.
▶The first half of both games was not very good. The important thing is that he didn't lose a point even in a bad situation. If you lose a point at this time, it can be a big blow. It's a good thing to finish the game without losing a point. We have to find the problem and prepare well until the World Cup finals. It is important to have the capability of offense and defense in midfield. This A match is difficult, but it can be solved to some extent when other players come in. Overall, I think we should prepare for the World Cup by preparing for each category.
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▶Castrope and Kwon Hyuk-kyu worked together for the first time. Kim Jin-gyu and Seo Min-woo were also new, and it wasn't bad. There is a style of midfielders' game management. It's important what you want from our team and how you make the best of it, but it's important that the movement is diagonal or how far it is from the defense because the first half is not good and the second half is good. You have to bring down the opposing midfielder and striker and take the second and third movements, but it didn't go well in the first half. I think there was a difference in performance in that part.
-Song Beom-geun started.
▶ Song Bum-keun will play in his first A-match since playing in the East Asian Cup. The game was very good today. The image shown by the team came out as it was. Rather than doing well in the national team, the team's performance was linked. He played very well for the first game.
-What is your plan to run the national team in 2026.
▶It's not a 100% decision, but I've done winter training in the year of the World Cup before, but I think about the effectiveness. Players in the K League end the season late and the Asian Champions League starts early, reducing their breaks. It is difficult for a coach to exclude the main players during the winter training period. It is better to prepare for the season while maintaining good condition in your team, and select players based on their condition. Players in Europe will also be observed. There is also a 23-year-old Asia Cup. I hope the K-League will also be considerate and build up well in the winter. If you overdo it, you may get injured.
-Son Heung-min's role has changed to the left.
▶Son Heung-min had an important game, so he controlled the playing time. I have to go and play a fierce game, so there is a risk of injury. Oh Hyun-kyu was disappointed because he played for the national team for the first time in a long time or because his midfield play was not superior. It is right to keep a good form. I think it's best to play well in your team.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
