The Seoul World Cup Stadium was adorned with colorful fireworks. Coach Hong Myung-bo's team gifted fans a refreshing victory in the final match of the World Cup qualifiers.

The South Korean national football team, led by Coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated Kuwait 4-0 in the final match of Group B, the 10th match of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian third round qualifiers, which took place on October 10 at 8 p.m. at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Thus, Korea finished the World Cup qualifiers without a loss. The national team concluded the final match with a victory, finishing the second and third rounds of the North and Central America World Cup with 11 wins and 5 draws, never losing a match. This is an achievement not seen since the 2010 South Africa World Cup, 16 years ago.

Korea confirmed its entry to the finals early on. On the 6th, it won 2-0 against Iraq away, writing history by qualifying for the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time. This is the first time in Asia and the sixth overall globally.

In addition, Korea celebrated a resounding victory in the final match held at home, marking a great finish. In the third round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers, it suffered a disappointing loss against the United Arab Emirates in the last match, but this time achieved a different outcome.

Korea started with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Oh Hyun-kyu, Bae Jun-ho, Lee Kang-in, Jeon Jin-woo, Won Doo-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 A-match starting debuts. Captain Son Heung-min sat on the bench due to injury, with Hwang In-beom wearing the captain's armband instead.

Kuwait also lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ahmad Zanki, Tareq Al-Khayassi, Jassem Al-Mutairi, Ahmad Al-Dhafiri, Youssef Majed, Abdul Wahab Al-Awadi, Fahad Al-Hajri, Rida Hanni, Meshari Qanem, Mohammed Khaled, and Sulayman Abdul-Ghafoor were the starters.

From the beginning, Korea took control and kept attacking the Kuwaiti goal. Bae Jun-ho and Jeon Jin-woo actively penetrated the half-space, seeking opportunities, and Oh Hyun-kyu moved across a wide area trying to create cracks in the defense. Even the defenders, including Lee Han-bum and Kim Joo-sung, pushed forward beyond the halfway line to apply vigorous pressure.

In the 4th minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in delivered a sharp cross, and Bae Jun-ho attempted a header, but the defense cleared it first. The goalpost did not assist. In the 11th minute of the first half, Bae Jun-ho touched a cross from Seol Young-woo with his head. The ball deflected off the defense and hit the right goalpost.

Korea continued to press on. In the 19th minute of the first half, Bae Jun-ho unleashed a sharp right-footed shot from the left side of the box. However, the goalkeeper dove to save it.

Korea finally broke through and scored the opening goal. In the 30th minute of the first half, Hwang In-beom delivered a corner kick from the left, and Jeon Jin-woo charged in to attempt a header. The ball, awkwardly spilled back, ricocheted off Al-Hajeri's leg and was pulled into the goal.

Initially, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) official record listed Jeon Jin-woo's goal as an own goal by Al-Hajeri, but it has since been corrected to reflect Jeon Jin-woo's score. Jeon Jin-woo has literally been scoring goals consecutively, both in the K League 1 and in A matches.

Three minutes of injury time was added to the first half. Kuwait, aiming for its first win in the qualifiers, attempted a counterattack, but it was not threatening. The first half ended with Korea leading 1-0.

Korea opened the scoring quickly in the second half. The star of the moment was none other than 'ace' Lee Kang-in. In the 6th minute of the second half, Lee Tae-seok intercepted the ball, creating a counterattack opportunity, and Bae Jun-ho provided a good pass to Lee Kang-in, who was infiltrating behind the defense. Despite the angle not being very favorable, Lee Kang-in pierced the goalkeeper with a powerful left-footed shot, marking his 11th goal in A matches.

Before long, a third goal was added. In the 9th minute of the second half, Hwang In-beom delivered a long cross from the right to the opposite side, and Bae Jun-ho headed it down. Oh Hyun-kyu then connected it with a magnificent turning shot that pierced the net. This made it two consecutive games with a goal after the match against Iraq. Oh Hyun-kyu also aimed for a multi-goal in the 11th minute of the second half after receiving a perfect through pass from Bae Jun-ho, but he was denied by the goalpost.

Coach Hong Myung-bo used his substitutions. In the 24th minute of the second half, he pulled off Jeon Jin-woo and Bae Jun-ho, bringing in Lee Jae-sung and Park Seung-wook. Lee Kang-in moved to the left, and Seol Young-woo stepped forward to take on the right-wing role.

Korea's fireworks of goals did not stop. In the 27th minute of the second half, during a corner kick attack, Kim Joo-sung jumped high and hit the ball with his head, but he struck the goalpost. In the ensuing chaotic moment in front of the goal, Lee Jae-sung shot again, and the ball deflected off a Kuwaiti defender and shook the net.

With a four-goal lead, the Korean bench moved again. Coach Hong Myung-bo substituted Seol Young-woo and Oh Hyun-kyu with Yang Hyun-jun and captain Son Heung-min in the 30th minute of the second half. When Son Heung-min was spotted preparing to come on wearing his jersey, the crowd erupted in immense cheers. With this appearance, he recorded 134 A matches, surpassing Lee Woon-jae to become the third all-time in most appearances.

Korea aggressively used its substitutions by bringing in Hwang Hee-chan for Lee Tae-seok in the 38th minute of the second half. Hwang Hee-chan took on the unique role of an offensive left wingback. Korea did allow Kuwait some threatening shots in the closing moments of the match, but ultimately finished without conceding a goal.

[OSEN]