“How embarrassing to take something like this~”
Park Hang-seo, former head coach of the Korea Football Association (KFA) 2026 World Cup Support Team, who is 67 years old, said this after treating the media and staff present at the site of the second match between Korea and Hong Kong in the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) to coffee and asking for a commemorative photo.
The Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Hong Kong at 8 p.m. at the Yongin Mir Stadium.
The players will have to play in the sweltering heat. The temperature peaked at 34 degrees at one point that day.
The match against Hong Kong kicks off at 8 p.m., but even an hour before the game, at 7 p.m., it is still quite hot around Yongin Mir Stadium. As of 7:31 p.m., it is 30 degrees.
It is said that within the KFA, there have been discussions about taking care of staff who will be at the site in such heat even before the tournament matches.
A KFA official noted, “There has been a constant conversation about finding a way to alleviate the burdens of media personnel and on-site staff. Vice President Lee Yong-soo was the first to bring up the 'coffee truck' idea.”
Director General Park Hang-seo announced the start of the 'coffee truck' first that day, and on the 13th, during the women's Japan-Korea match, Vice President Lee Yong-soo is scheduled to send a 'coffee truck' to the site.
Chairman Chung Mong-kyu will also participate. He will treat coffee during the men's Japan-Korea match on the 15th.
All of them send the coffee truck at their own expense.
Meanwhile, this tournament is providing practical opportunities for players with little experience in the national team.
The Hong Myung-bo team earlier achieved a 3-0 victory in the opening match against China held on the 7th, where six players, including Kim Bong-soo, Lee Ho-jae, Gang Sang-yun, Mo Jae-hyun, Seo Min-woo, and Lee Seung-won, made their A-match debuts.
In this match against Hong Kong, many players have also been given opportunities. The starting 11 has changed entirely compared to the match against China. It appears to be a lineup considering the final match against Japan.
That day, Na Sang-ho and Lee Ho-jae will take on the attack. Seo Min-woo, Lee Seung-won, and Gang Sang-yun will be responsible for the midfield. On the flanks, Kim Tae-hyun and Jo Hyun-taek will take the position, while the three-man backline will consist of Byeon Joon-soo, Kim Tae-hyun, and Seo Myeong-gwan. The goalkeeper will be Lee Chang-geun.
Jo Hyun-taek, Byeon Joon-soo, Seo Myeong-gwan, and both Kim Tae-hyun will have their A-match debut opportunities.
Korea aims to win for the sixth time overall and for the first time in six years through this tournament. In the previous tournament, held in Japan in 2022, it ended as the runner-up.
Korea has an overwhelming record against Hong Kong in their historical matches, holding 22 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses. They have not lost since 1958. Following a draw in the 1972 Merdeka Cup, they are on a 14-match winning streak.
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