Ultimately, it was corrected to be an own goal by the opponent. Jeon Jin-woo (26, Jeonbuk Hyundai) has unfortunately postponed his A-match debut goal to a later opportunity.

The South Korea national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated Kuwait 4-0 in their final match of the 10th round of Group B in the Asia third qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 10th.

With this, Korea finished the World Cup qualifiers undefeated. The national team also secured victory in their last match, concluding the second and third qualifying rounds for the North and Central American World Cup with 11 wins and 5 draws, never losing a single match. This is an achievement not seen in 16 years since the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

Korea also confirmed its advancement to the finals early. On the 6th, they won 2-0 in an away match against Iraq, making history with their 11th consecutive qualification for the World Cup finals. This is the first time in Asia and the sixth time globally. In Group B, both Korea and Jordan secured direct tickets to the World Cup.

Moreover, Korea concluded the final match held at home with a resounding victory, achieving a perfect finish. In the third qualifying round for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, they unfortunately lost in the last match against the United Arab Emirates, but this time produced a different result. Jeon Jin-woo opened the scoring in the 30th minute of the first half, followed by goals from Lee Kang-in, Oh Hyun-kyu, and Lee Jae-sung in the second half.

The opening goal came from the head of starting player Jeon Jin-woo. He attempted a header on the corner kick delivered by Hwang In-beom in the 30th minute of the first half. The ball, deflected awkwardly, hit the leg of Kuwaiti defender Fahad Al-Hajri and was sucked into the net.

It clearly hit Al-Hajri's thigh, but Jeon Jin-woo celebrated with his teammates. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) initially recorded it as an own goal by Al-Hajri but quickly corrected it to be a goal for Jeon Jin-woo.

Even after the match, it was recorded as a goal for Jeon Jin-woo on the AFC and FIFA websites. He, currently leading the scoring charts in this season's K League 1, seemed to be reporting his lucky debut goal in front of former Jeonbuk coach Gus Poyet at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

However, according to the Korea Football Association, Korea's first goal is officially recorded as an own goal by Kuwait, not as Jeon Jin-woo's debut goal. This was because the AFC match supervisor marked it as an own goal on the official record sheet. An association official noted, "The AFC website has not been updated yet. There might be confusion, but it will eventually be changed to an own goal."

Of course, it is still too early to be disappointed. As Jeon Jin-woo has made his presence known during this gathering, it is highly likely that he will receive opportunities at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship (East Asian Cup) next month.

Jeon Jin-woo is currently leading the scoring charts in the K League 1 with 11 goals and 1 assist in 17 matches this season. Compared to his time at Suwon Samsung, where his finishing was disappointing, he has truly transformed. Thanks to this, Jeonbuk is currently in first place with 10 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses (35 points), having played fewer matches than Daejeon in second and Ulsan in third.

Recognized for his outstanding performance, Jeon Jin-woo was called up by head coach Hong Myung-bo for the A-match in June, making his first appearance for the senior national team. He was substituted in during the second half of the away match against Iraq on the 6th and assisted Oh Hyun-kyu's additional goal, marking his offensive point. Although he unfortunately did not score his debut goal in this match, Jeon Jin-woo remains a promising player for the future.

[OSEN]