There is only one point left until the final round of the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup. Hong Myung-bo’s front line ahead of the Iraq match has four options.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play its ninth Group B match against the Iraqi national soccer team at the Basra International Stadium in Iraq on the 6th (Korea time).
Currently, Hong Myung-bo is leading the group with four wins and four draws (16 points). It is four points behind Iraq (12 points), which is the opponent of this match. The World Cup has increased the number of participating countries from 32 to 48. There are 8.5 tickets given to the Asian continent. In the third qualifying round, 18 countries that passed the second qualifying round will be divided into three groups of six countries. The 1st and 2nd places in the group will go straight to the finals, and the 3rd and 4th places will go to the 4th preliminary round.
Hong Myung-bo has one point left until the final round is confirmed. If the team scores more than a draw against Iraq, it will secure second place in the group regardless of the result of the final match (10th game) against Kuwait at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th. He will write a new history of advancing to the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times.
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who is set to face Iraq, will put “speed” first. In this schedule, Oh Se-hoon and Oh Hyun-kyu were selected as the front line. Previously, he consistently selected three strikers, including Joo Min-kyu, but he took the change. Coach Hong Myung-bo said, “I didn’t take it out because Joo Min-gyu’s performance was not good. He continues to score goals in his team. “However, I thought speed was necessary to penetrate the weaknesses of the opposing teams this time,” he explained.
Previously, coach Hong Myung-bo started Joo Min-kyu and Oh Se-hoon. In direct competition with the opposing defense, he focused on linking with the second-line midfielder. Oh mainly played as a joker.
If there is no change, Oh Se-hoon is likely to start and Oh Hyun-kyu is likely to play as a substitute. Oh Se-hoon is expected to compete with the Iraqi defense with height and strength, while Oh Hyun-kyu is expected to target an exhausted opponent in the second half with speed and strength.
Currently, the two players need an A-match scoring shot. The last score was last year. Oh Se-hoon scored the first goal in the match against Kuwait (3-1 win) in November last year, and Oh Hyun-kyu scored an additional goal in the 1-1 tie against Iraq (3-2 win) in October last year.
Oh Se-hoon and Oh Hyun-kyu will challenge for the first goal of the 2025 A match side by side.
There is also the option of placing a second-line midfielder at the forefront. Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan are the most suitable. Coach Hong Myung-bo said, “In addition to Oh Se-hoon and Oh Hyun-kyu, Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan can play as front-line strikers.”
In the eighth game against Jordan in March, Son Heung-min was placed at the forefront and Hwang Hee-chan was used as the left wing. With the coexistence of the two players, it is the best option to put your fast feet ahead.
But there are variables. Currently, Son Heung-min has been suffering from foot injuries since last month, and Hwang Hee-chan is behind his team’s competition to become a starting player, and concerns about his performance are followed.
Coach Hong Myung-bo said of Son Heung-min, “I continued to communicate with the player about the foot injury. We continued to talk about our will to participate. They will play two games. I don’t plan to force him to participate,” he said.
As for Hwang Hee-chan, “The playing time is of course an important part for the player. But the national team should look beyond that. At this point, I looked at the overall combination of what roles can be played in the national team. I think the team is a player who can do something at an important time,” he said.
[Kim Young Hoon, MK Sports Reporter]
