The halfway point is around the corner. With the addition of "captain" Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hong Myung-bo has become a complete team. There are two days left until the final match.

South Korea will play its fifth Group B match against Kuwait in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup in North China and the U.S. at the Jabeur Al-Hamad International Stadium in Kuwait City at 11 p.m. on Tuesday (Korea time). Team Hong Myung-bo had a scoreless draw in the first match against Palestine, but has thus achieved three consecutive wins. The team also has a green light to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time.온라인카지노

Team Hong Myung-bo was the first team to gain 10 points (three wins, one draw). Jordan scored seven points (two wins, one draw and one loss) alongside Iraq. In terms of goal difference, Jordan (+4) was ahead of Iraq (+1). Kuwait has three draws and one loss (three points) to rank fifth among the six teams. Oman (3 points, one win, three losses-3), which is close to Kuwait (-4), is fourth, while Palestine (2 points, two draws and two losses) is sixth.

In the third qualifying round, the first and second place in each group will qualify for the World Cup finals. The third and fourth place finishers will advance to the fourth qualifying round, while the fifth and sixth place finishers will be eliminated. Team Hong Myung-bo had two days of training in Kuwait on Tuesday. Son Heung-min, who joined the team on the day, was all smiles. However, there is no time. Only one day is left for tactical training.

It was his first re-election in two months. Son presented his first win to national team coach Hong Myung-bo, who returned after 10 years with a one-man show in which he scored one goal and two assists in the second match (three to one win) against Oman on Sept. 10, the turning point.

However, his team failed to join due to hamstring injury last month. Fortunately, there was no leakage. Hong cooked Jordan 2-0 in an away match and defeated Iraq 3-2 at home. Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) scored goals for two consecutive matches and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) scored assists for two consecutive matches. Oh Se-hoon (Mahda) also scored his A-match debut goal.

After returning from the match against West Ham on the 19th of last month, Son Heung-min said, "On the one hand, I was worried and sad that I couldn't be with you. I think it's a very positive part as a Korean soccer player that the players come forward and show great performance despite the difficult situation," adding, "All the players worked hard. It is something that the players should be praised for having a good game against a really difficult opponent, an away game, and a poor home game. I was worried, but on the other hand, I felt proud while watching it."

However, Son missed his third consecutive match at Tottenham due to recurrence of pain after the match against West Ham. After returning to the team, he played 56 minutes (Aston Villa, 4 to 1 win) and 45 minutes (Galatasaray, 2 to 3 losses) before playing full time at Ipswich (one to two losses). "We want Son to be healthy. I hope he can contribute to each team by maintaining good physical condition," Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou said ahead of the match against Ipswich. "I think there will be a way to cooperate with the national team."

Team Korea had its first training session as a whole as its captain Son Heung-min and other overseas players arrived in Kuwait on the day. 2024.11.12

Hong also plans to protect Son as much as possible through selection and concentration. After the match against Kuwait, the sixth game against the Palestinians is waiting at Ammam in Jordan on Wednesday, and thus arrangements are needed.

"His physical condition is important to the national team. It is really important to see him in good health. As soon as he joins the national team, we will have an interview to decide the time of his participation," Hong said on Sunday. "I will never overdo it in my current physical condition. I will judge him by his effective use."

"I had no direct contact with the national team at Tottenham. Son Heung-min is also an important player at Tottenham, so Postecoglou has no choice but to pay attention," Hong said. "The outcome of the national team's match is important, but it is a courtesy to the team to send the called-up players back healthy."