Although there was no Minister in the crowd, each cheer from the fans was precious to the players. After the match, they expressed their gratitude with a 'folder bow.'
Under the leadership of head coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean national football team achieved a 2-0 victory against Hong Kong in the second match of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 11th.
South Korea, following a resounding 3-0 victory against China on the 7th, also overpowered Hong Kong, making it two consecutive wins in the tournament.
With Japan (3 points) having played one fewer match, South Korea (6 points) leads the tournament.
On the 15th, South Korea will face Japan in the third match. Japan will play against China in the second match on the 12th before meeting South Korea.
According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), the attendance for the match against Hong Kong was 5,521. Previously, 4,426 attended the match against China.
Although there were 105 more spectators, the match against Hong Kong was still far from successful. The Yongin Mir Stadium, which can accommodate over 37,000, had substantial empty seats.
The attendance from the most recent match held domestically, the final match of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian qualifiers against Kuwait (41,911), is significantly higher.
This tournament is not within the FIFA-designated A-match period, so overseas players like Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) were not called up.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo filled most of the roster with K League players. Three J League players were also included.
Many analyses suggest that the absence of star players is a significant reason for the lack of interest. The sweltering 'heat wave' could also be a factor. The accessibility of Yongin Mir Stadium is not good, contributing to the issue.
The players rewarded the fans who made their way to the stadium that day with a victory.
Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk) and Lee Ho-jae (Pohang), who are active in this season's K League, scored their debut A-match goals.
South Korea scored only one goal in the first half against Hong Kong, who Japan had previously defeated 6-1. Although South Korea struggled against the two-line defense, they maintained their pride with a second-half goal from Lee Ho-jae.
After the match, the players approached the fans to express their gratitude. The appreciation for any support was evident.
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