After making his A-match debut, Lee Ho-jae (25, Pohang Steelers) expressed his aspirations for participating in the World Cup.
The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated China 3-0 in the opening match of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) held at Yongin Mir Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 7th.
With this victory, Korea, challenging for the title, got off to a positive start. The victorious team will face Hong Kong on the 11th and Japan on the 15th. All matches will be held in Yongin, and the final ranking will be determined based on the results of the three matches.
With the goal of winning all matches, Hong Myung-bo's team. Korea finished second in the tournament held three years ago after suffering a 0-3 defeat to Japan in what was known as the 'Yokohama disaster.' This tournament, held on home soil, provides a chance to lift the trophy for the first time since the 2019 Busan tournament.
Korea dominated China, even while experimenting with a 'KARD' card and six players making their A-match debuts. Starting with Lee Dong-kyung's opening goal in the 8th minute of the first half, they secured the win with additional goals from Joo Min-kyu and Kim Joo-seong's A-match debut goal in the second half.
Thanks to this, many new faces were able to participate in the second half. Although Kim Bong-soo was the only A-match debutant in the starting lineup, head coach Hong Myung-bo brought in Lee Ho-jae, Kang Sang-yoon, Seo Min-woo, Mo Jae-hyun, and Lee Seung-won one after another, giving them their first opportunities in an A-match.
Lee Ho-jae, who was substituted in the 19th minute of the second half, had several chances but was stopped by the opponent's aggressive defense and good tackles, failing to score. After the match, he met with reporters in the mixed zone and said, "I didn't expect to play in an A-match debut from the first game. I am grateful to the coach," adding, "Since the team is winning, I wanted to record attacking points as much as possible. I feel regret, but I think I handled my debut well to some degree. I will make sure to get attacking points in the next match."
Of course, the missed opportunities will linger in his mind. Lee Ho-jae reflected, "I had several goal chances. I would have been more satisfied and happy if I had turned those into goals, but I couldn’t. So I feel regret." He continued, "There wasn't anything particularly difficult, but I made an effort to sync up with my teammates and carry out the coach's orders."
Following in the footsteps of his father, Lee Gi-hyung, coach of Yanbian Longding, Lee Ho-jae has become the fourth father-son pair to represent the national team. What advice did his father, known as the 'Cannon Shooter', give him? He said, "Just go in, don’t be nervous, and if you show what you have, you'll have good performance. He emphasized a lot about moving a lot upfront. I think I performed quite satisfactorily doing it that way."
On that day, if it weren't for the quick tackles of the Chinese defense, Lee Ho-jae might have combined on a goal with his Pohang teammate Lee Tae-seok. He expressed gratitude, saying, "Not only (Lee) Tae-seok but also (Lee) Dong-kyung hyung tried hard to create opportunities for me. I wanted to turn that into a goal somehow, but I couldn't, which is regrettable. We didn’t specifically coordinate before the match, but Tae-seok is a close younger brother, and Dong-kyung hyung is also a good hyung who seemed to try to set things up well for me."
Lee Ho-jae received many congratulatory messages for his debut. He said, "The first message came from my family. Among my teammates, (Shin) Kwang-hoon was the first to send me a message. He caught me coming in as a substitute and texted to congratulate me on my debut. I said thank you," adding, "I can treat my Pohang teammates to dinner anytime. I will make sure to do that when I return to the team."
Playing in the sweltering heat, Lee Ho-jae said, "In this kind of weather, I pay a lot of attention to ball possession. Losing the ball consumes a lot of energy, so I tried to protect the ball that came to me and make connections. I think I showed some will to get into the penalty area. Next time, I will make sure to finish with a goal, not just will."
Now, Lee Ho-jae is determined to give his all in the upcoming matches against Japan and Hong Kong, aiming for his dream of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. He said, "The stage of the World Cup is the dream of all players. It has been a dream of mine since I was first called up. I will strive to take steps toward that dream. I will do my best to seize that opportunity this time."
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