The South Korean national soccer team, which drew against the relatively weak Palestinian team due to poor performance in the first home match of the third qualifying round for the FIFA World Cup in North and Central America held on the 5th, sparked much controversy, but was able to breathe a sigh of relief by winning 3-1 in the away match against Oman held at 11 PM (Korean time) on the 10th.
The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, played its second match of Group B in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North & Central America World Cup at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Stadium in Muscat, Oman.
Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who started in the 10th minute of the first half, succeeded in breaking through the central area with a reckless dribble and succeeded in shaking the net with a powerful mid-range shot from outside the penalty box, recording his 15th goal in an A match and giving South Korea the lead.
It seemed like they were showing a good flow from the start, but in the extra time of the first half, Oman, who received a free kick in the side area due to a foul by Seol Young-woo, did not miss the opportunity and induced an own goal by Korea through a sharp kick by Harib Al-Saadi (34), bringing the score back to 1-1.
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who needed to somehow secure a victory to turn public opinion around, replaced right fullback Seol Young-woo with Hwang Moon-ki (Gangwon FC) in the second half and brought in Lee Jae-seong (Mainz) to the second line to increase momentum, and through continuous attack attempts, he succeeded in regaining the lead in the 37th minute of the second half when Son Heung-min received a pass from Lee Kang-in and scored a mid-range shot that curved sharply into the corner of the goal.
With 16 minutes of added time, coach Hong Myung-bo attempted to score additional goals by substituting striker Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan Hyundai) and winger Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) for Oh Se-hoon and Lee Kang-in, respectively. Substitute Joo Min-kyu eventually scored the winning goal with an assist from captain Son Heung-min, ultimately securing a comfortable victory.
Hong Myung-bo will play the third away match of the World Cup third qualifying round against Jordan, the team that defeated South Korea in the previous Asian Cup, on October 10th.
