The Hong Myung-bo team is sweating it out ahead of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) match against Hong Kong.
The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, conducted a closed training session at Seongnam Comprehensive Sports Center at 6 p.m. on the 10th.
South Korea got off to a good start by defeating China 3-0 in the tournament opener on the 7th. The team, having achieved a refreshing victory despite the sweltering heat, took a break on the 8th and was reconvened for a closed training session in the afternoon of the 9th to recover from fatigue.
The Hong Myung-bo team then conducted final training for about 1 hour and 30 minutes in preparation for the match against Hong Kong from 6 p.m. on the 10th. The match against Hong Kong will take place at 8 p.m. on the 11th at Yongin MBC Stadium.
According to the Korea Football Association, the national team began training that day with a 5-minute physical coordination drill. After that, they practiced real-game movements in a passing drill with limitations on ball touch for 20 minutes divided into three teams, and played a practice match for tactical training in preparation for the Hong Kong match for 30 minutes, dividing into two teams.
The final part was training on set pieces and penalty kicks. The national team devoted 20 minutes to corner kick and set piece training, spending the last 10 minutes on penalty kick practice, completing their preparation for the match against Hong Kong. The Korea Football Association noted, "They conducted regular training even in heat with a perceived temperature of over 36 degrees."
Currently, South Korea is in second place (3 points, goal difference +3) after Japan (3 points, goal difference +5). Japan boosted its momentum by defeating Hong Kong 6-1 in the first match.
The Hong Myung-bo team, aiming for an 'undefeated championship,' dreams of their sixth victory in the tournament, the most in history, six years after the 2019 Busan tournament. In the last tournament held three years ago, they remained in second place after a 0-3 loss to Japan, known as the 'Yokohama Disaster.' At that time, Japan, the host country, claimed the top spot.
In reality, the last match between South Korea and Japan is likely to be the championship decider. The showdown between the two rival teams will take place at Yongin MBC Stadium on the 15th.
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