The phrase 'I will do well' was mentioned more than the story of striving.
The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, faced Kuwait in the 10th match of Group B in the 3rd round of the final Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th, and won decisively with a score of 4-0.
With this victory, Korea finished the final qualifiers without a loss, accumulating 22 points (6 wins, 4 draws).
Already, Korea secured second place or higher in the group with 5 wins and 4 draws (19 points) by winning 2-0 against Iraq on an away game on the 6th, thanks to consecutive goals from Kim Jin-kyu and Oh Hyun-kyu, early confirming their participation in the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time. After this match ended in a 4-0 victory, the confirmed team shared the joy of their achievement with home fans in a festive atmosphere.
It is Korea that has recorded an unbeaten streak in the final qualifiers for the first time in 15 years since 2010. Korea, which sadly lost in the away match against the UAE on March 29, 2022, thus failing to remain unbeaten in the final Asian qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, ended this time on a high note without a loss.
Korea took the lead in the 30th minute of the first half due to an own goal by Kuwait and increased their momentum as Lee Kang-in and Oh Hyun-kyu scored consecutively in the 6th and 9th minutes of the second half. Following that, in the 27th minute of the second half, Lee Jae-sung, who was substituted in, scored the fourth goal, leading to a perfect victory.
Oh Hyun-kyu, who started as the top forward in this match, took a total of seven shots including one goal. Among them, a shot taken after receiving a pass from Bae Jun-ho in the 11th minute of the second half hit the crossbar. From the opponent's perspective, it was a match where they could not take their eyes off Oh Hyun-kyu.
After the match, Oh Hyun-kyu spoke in front of reporters, saying, 'Since last year, I had a feeling that I would score, but I was often blocked by defenders, so I felt it wouldn’t be easy today. However, the coach gave me a lot of time and opportunities, so I wanted to repay that with a goal, and I am glad I could respond to that opportunity.'
'I think the coming year will be very important. I need to be a regular starter in the team. I will prepare well so that I can play as a starter again in September and show a good performance,' he promised.
'Before the match, we talked about having fun and creating something enjoyable together. It seems the players played confidently and enjoyably from the beginning. I tried hard to fit in well too. I'm not sure how it looked, but it seems the players wanted to enjoy themselves. I think there was joy during the game, and that was really nice,' he said.
'Still, I think there is a long way to go. Honestly, I'm not satisfied with my performance. The way I show my ability is just to show more, so I am looking forward to what more I can show myself over the next year, and I am confident. I will work harder and show a better developed version of myself. I will do well,' he concluded.
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