A goal for South Korea's Kim Jin-woo (26, Jeonbuk Hyundai) was scored amidst luck. South Korea finished the first half leading by one goal against Kuwait.

The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, is facing Kuwait in the final match of the 10th round of the Group B qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 10th. South Korea is currently leading 1-0 at the end of the first half.

South Korea has already secured its place in the finals. On the 6th, they achieved a 2-0 victory in an away match against Iraq, marking their 11th consecutive qualification for the World Cup, a historic achievement. This is the first in Asia and the sixth overall in the world. In Group B, South Korea (19 points) and Jordan (16 points) have both secured direct tickets to the World Cup.

Now South Korea aims to challenge for an unbeaten qualifying streak. Currently, the national team has a record of 10 wins and 5 draws in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of World Cup qualification, having never lost a game. If they achieve a draw or better in their final match against Kuwait, they will have an unbeaten qualifying record for the first time since the 2010 South Africa World Cup, a span of 16 years.

South Korea started in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Oh Hyun-kyu, Bae Joon-ho, Lee Kang-in, Jeon Jin-woo, Won Du-jae, Hwang In-beom, Seol Young-woo, Kim Joo-sung, Lee Han-bum, Lee Tae-seok, and Lee Chang-geun were the starters. Lee Han-bum made his A-match debut, while Jeon Jin-woo, Kim Joo-sung, and Lee Chang-geun made their starting A-match debuts. Captain Son Heung-min sat on the bench due to injury.

Kuwait also lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ahmed Zanki, Tareq Al-Khaisy, Jasem Al-Mutairi, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Youssef Majed, Abdulwahab Al-Awadi, Fahad Al-Hajeri, Reda Hanni, Meshari Qanem, and Mohamed Khaled formed the starting lineup.

From the beginning, South Korea took control and began to threaten the Kuwait goal. Bae Joon-ho and Jeon Jin-woo aggressively penetrated the half-space looking for opportunities, while Oh Hyun-kyu moved across a wide area trying to create cracks in the defense. All defenders, including Lee Han-bum and Kim Joo-sung, moved forward beyond the halfway line to apply strong pressure.

In the 4th minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in delivered a sharp cross, and Bae Joon-ho attempted a header, but the defense cleared it first. The goalpost did not help them. In the 11th minute, Bae Joon-ho headed the ball from a cross by Seol Young-woo. The deflected ball hit the right goalpost.

South Korea continued to push forward. In the 19th minute of the first half, Bae Joon-ho unleashed a sharp right-footed shot from the left side of the box. However, the goalkeeper dove to make a save.

After persisting, South Korea finally netted the opening goal. In the 30th minute of the first half, Hwang In-beom sent a corner kick from the left, and Jeon Jin-woo rushed in to attempt a header. The ball, awkwardly flowing backward, hit Al-Hajeri's leg and was sucked into the goal.

Initially, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website recorded Jeon Jin-woo's debut goal as an own goal by Al-Hajeri. However, it has now been corrected to credit Jeon Jin-woo with the goal. Jeon Jin-woo is truly on a scoring streak, following his efforts in the K League 1.

Three minutes of added time were given in the first half. Kuwait, aiming for their first victory in the qualifiers, attempted a counterattack, but it was not threatening. The first half ended with South Korea leading 1-0.

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