25 shots were fired, but 1 goal resulted in a draw with Thailand. ‘A-match debut’ Joo Min-gyu is competitive with new options
Son Heung-min shooting
After failing to win the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, the national soccer team, which began to reorganize under Hwang Sun-hong’s ‘temporary head coach’ system, got off to an uneasy start, only scoring 1 point against the ‘ambushed’ Thailand. did.
The national soccer team, led by Olympic team coach Hwang Sun-hong, drew 1-1 with Thailand in the third match of Group C of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 21st.
The national team lost 0-2 in the semifinals of the Asian Cup against Jordan held in Qatar on February 7, followed by a draw in two consecutive international matches.
Coach Hwang Sun-hong, who has the important responsibility of sorting out the national team that was in disarray due to the internal strife that broke out after the Asian Cup, brought in several new faces ahead of this international match, and included Joo Min-gyu (Ulsan), who wore the Taegeuk symbol for the first time, in the starting list that day. informed.
Joo Min-gyu, who was selected as the national team despite being the K-League 1 top scorer in 2021 and 2023 and then wearing the national flag for the adult national team for the first time, set the record for the oldest A-match debut ever (33 years, 343 days).
Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), and Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart) supported the back, while Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham) and Hwang In-beom (Zvezda) worked together at the waist.
The defense consisted of Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk), Kim Min-jae (Munich), Kim Young-kwon, and Seol Young-woo, and the goal was guarded by Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan).
Except for Joo Min-gyu, Korea’s elite members, whose faces did not change much, came out, but Thailand, led by Japanese coach Masatada Ishii, was no easy task.
Thailand, under coach Ishii, who had experience defeating a Korean team in the AFC Champions League while playing in Japan’s J-League, was active from the beginning, keeping the line spacing tight and systematically resisting Korea’s attack.
On the other hand, our players were often in situations where their passes were interrupted or the ball was taken away.
In particular, just 9 minutes after the start of the game, a defensive passing mistake resulted in a decisive opportunity for opposing attacker Supachai Chaided, which brought on trouble.If it weren’t for Jo Hyun-woo’s super save, they would have conceded a goal early and had a more difficult game. 메이저사이트
Son Heung-min took the lead in the 42nd minute of the first half by finishing Lee Jae-seong’s cutback from the left with a non-stop shot with his left foot, and took the lead. However, the defense faltered from the beginning of the second half and eventually allowed the tying goal.
In the 16th minute of the second half, Thailand’s Luk Sa Michelson’s cross was completed by Suphanat Muayanta, who penetrated the goal, but the unstable defense from the previous throw-in scene was used as an excuse.
Korea, which achieved a scoreless victory over Singapore (5-0) and China (3-0) in the first and second games of the second preliminary round held in November last year, conceded its first goal in this preliminary round.
Afterwards, they continued their offensive by using replacement cards such as Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Cho Kyu-seong (Midtjylland) in succession, but the national team only showed a lack of decisiveness and headed to Thailand for the 4th game on the 26th.
According to AFC match records, on this day, Korea made 25 shots, including 8 on target, while Thailand scored 1 goal with 6 shots and 2 on target.
Amidst the disappointing process and results, the competitiveness of ‘late Taegeuk warrior’ Joo Min-gyu in his A-match debut as a starter was worthy of being considered a success.
In the 20th minute of the first half, the Thai goalkeeper blocked Hwang In-beom’s mid-range shot, but he was unable to capitalize on the decisive opportunity, but he showed off his strengths such as post play and linkage based on his solid physique, establishing himself as an option in the national team that will continue to compete with Asian teams. I confirmed the possibility of catching it. 안전 슬롯사이트