No one knows who the 11 players will be wearing the Taeguk mark and traversing the World Cup stage a year from now. Coach Hong Myung-bo emphasized once again a fact that is obvious but easy to forget.
The South Korean national football team, led by Coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated Kuwait 4-0 in the final match of the 10th round of Group B of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Asia third qualifying round held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th at 8 p.m.
With this, Korea wrapped up the World Cup qualifiers unbeaten. The national team concluded the second and third rounds of qualifying for the North American World Cup with 11 wins and 5 draws, without a loss. This is an achievement not seen in 16 years since the 2010 South Africa World Cup.
Korea confirmed its advancement to the finals early on. On the 6th, they won 2-0 in an away match against Iraq, marking a historic 11 consecutive participations in the World Cup finals. This is the first in Asia and the sixth overall globally. In Group B, both Korea and Jordan grabbed their tickets directly to the World Cup.
It was a refreshing victory. The national team made efforts to crack Kuwait's defense with strong early pressure and active penetration. They were even favored by luck. In the 30th minute of the first half, a ball that brushed against Jeon Jin-woo's head deflected off the opponent's defense and rolled into the goal.
After gaining the lucky opening goal, Korea erupted with fireworks in the second half. In the 6th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in received a penetrating pass from Bae Joon-ho, broke away behind the defensive line, and scored with a powerful left-footed shot despite the difficult angle.
A third goal came in an instant. In the 9th minute of the second half, Bae Joon-ho headed the ball down, and Oh Hyun-kyu connected with a splendid turning shot to secure the finishing goal. This marked his consecutive goal after the match against Iraq. Additionally, in the 27th minute of the second half, Lee Jae-sung's shot inside the box deflected and shook the net, bringing the score to a four-goal lead.
Thanks to this, Korea decorated the final match held at home with a huge victory. In the last match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup third qualifying round, they sadly lost to the United Arab Emirates, but this time they successfully concluded on a positive note.
The greatest achievement is the rediscovery of young players. The average age of the 11 starters in this match has significantly decreased to 24.9 years. Excluding goalkeeper Lee Chang-geun, the average age of the 10 field players is only 24.3 years. There are as many as six players born after 2000: Oh Hyun-kyu (born in 2001), Bae Joon-ho (born in 2003), Lee Kang-in (born in 2001), Kim Joo-sung (born in 2000), Lee Han-beom, and Lee Tae-seok (both born in 2002).
Looking at individuals, Lee Han-beom finally made his debut in an A-match, while Jeon Jin-woo and Kim Joo-sung also seized their first opportunity to start in an A-match. 'The Guardian of Daejeon,' Lee Chang-geun, also made his first starting appearance. He had entered the game as a substitute in the second half of a friendly match against Qatar in 2020, marking his first A-match experience, but he had not played in any game since then.
Despite this, everyone performed beyond their share. After the match, Coach Hong Myung-bo also noted, "No one can predict the situation of our players a year from now. However, I think today's game was a great source of strength for the team. Today was the best opportunity for young players to accumulate real match experience, and they showed performances beyond imagination."
There is a possibility that the players who showed above-expectation performances in the match against Kuwait will be traversing the World Cup stage a year from now. It is also unclear what the current key players on the national team will look like by the summer of 2026.
Coach Hong Myung-bo emphasized this aspect as well. He stated, "The best of our team has not yet been determined. Of course, the veteran players who have led the team so far are the backbone and will continue to lead the team. However, it is very important to have strong young players who can further support that. In that respect, the performances of young players today are very encouraging and positive."
Ultimately, what matters is not the performances shown so far, but what kind of performances will be made in the remaining year. Coach Hong Myung-bo also vowed not to repeat mistakes from 11 years ago at the Brazil World Cup. He emphasized, "The most important thing is which players can maintain good performance in June next year. I overlooked that aspect 10 years ago. Now, I have to observe a much wider range of players to determine who can maintain form by June next year as a critical point."
It is time for everyone to remember the significant advice from vice-captain Lee Jae-sung. Ahead of this match, he remarked, "Going to the World Cup, which was a dream when I started playing football, is still a dream. I cannot guarantee that I will be in that position a year from now. There is no guarantee that the players currently in the national team will participate in the World Cup. Each of us must give our best in our respective positions with the dream of the World Cup."
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