Tag: South Korea

ZAPOPAN: Substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu emerged as South Korea’s hero with a late winner as the Asian side kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium on Friday.

The Koreans dominated large portions of the contest but were repeatedly frustrated in front of goal before Oh came off the bench to seal all three points in the closing stages.

South Korea, led by star forward Son Heung-min, controlled possession and created the better opportunities throughout the first half.

However, a combination of wasteful finishing and resilient Czech defending ensured the teams went into the break level.

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Son came closest to breaking the deadlock before halftime, first firing over the crossbar and later producing a driving run through the Czech defence only to drag his effort wide of the target.

Despite spending much of the opening period on the back foot, the Czech Republic struck first early in the second half. Ladislav Krejci rose highest at the near post to power home a header and give his side a surprise lead against the run of play.

South Korea continued to push forward and eventually found the breakthrough their performance deserved in the 67th minute.

Midfielder Hwang In-beom showed excellent composure inside the box, deceiving the defence with a dummy before delicately lifting the ball beyond goalkeeper Matej Kovar to level the score.

Moments after the equaliser, the Korean head coach introduced Oh Hyeon-gyu in place of Son, a substitution that proved decisive.

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The Czech Republic thought they had regained the lead when the ball found the back of the net, but the effort was ruled out, keeping South Korea firmly in the contest.

With ten minutes remaining, Oh timed his run perfectly before calmly slotting home the winner to complete the comeback.

South Korea managed to withstand late Czech pressure and held on for a valuable opening-match victory, with Son collapsing to the turf in celebration after the final whistle.

Earlier in the day, co-hosts Mexico launched their World Cup campaign in style with a comfortable 2-0 victory over South Africa at Estadio Azteca.

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Cho Wi-je played in South Korea’s second division last year, but now he is heading to the FIFA World Cup 2026 after being called up as a late injury replacement.

The 24-year-old defender has been drafted into South Korea’s squad after Cho Yu-min was ruled out with a foot injury following the 5-0 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday.

Cho Wi-je was already with the squad as a training partner, and now he is in contention to play against South Korea’s Group A opponents South Africa, the Czech Republic and co-hosts Mexico.

After turning out for Busan IPark in K League 2 until January this year, he was still trying to make sense of his rapid rise when he spoke to reporters on Monday.

“If someone told me last year that I would be going to the World Cup in 2026, I would never have believed that,” he said at the team’s training camp in Utah. “This feels like a dream.”

Cho joined South Korean champions Jeonbuk at the start of the year and impressed in his first taste of top-flight football.

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He is now with the national team alongside Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae, the central defender who has played at Europe’s top level for years and has almost 80 caps for his country.

“He has so much experience battling top European players, and I want to pick his brain about that,” Cho said.

“Min-jae is so much quicker than most players, and I have to be quicker on my feet to get to that level.”

Cho got his chance after Cho Yu-min’s World Cup dream ended less than two weeks before their World Cup opener against the Czechs on June 11.

“Yu-min played such an important role in helping us qualify for the World Cup, and it was really tough to see him leave,” said Cho. “To fill his void, I just have to perform as well as I can.”

South Korea squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan), Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk)

Defenders: Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Tae-hyon (Kashima Antlers), Park Jin-seob (Zhejiang), Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade), Jens Castrop (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien), Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), Cho Wi-je (Jeonbuk)

Midfielders: Kim Jin-gyu (Jeonbuk), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Forwards: Son Heung-min (LAFC), Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besitkas), Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland)

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Star striker Son Heung-min has been named to lead the South Korea squad at the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, marking his fourth participation in this prestigious tournament.

Son will turn 34 in July, and is currently playing for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer (MLS), having left Tottenham Hotspur and the English Premier League (EPL) a year ago.

He heads an experienced Korean squad that also features Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Lee Kang-in, Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan.

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South Korea have been drawn in Group A with co-hosts Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Africa. They will play all their first-round games in Mexico and take on the Czechs in their opener on June 11.

Besiktas striker Oh Hyeon-gyu was also included in coach Hong Myung-bo’s 26-man squad, along with Celtic’s Yang Hyun-jin and Birmingham’s Paik Seung-ho.

German-born Jens Castrop of Borussia Moenchengladbach also made the cut.

South Korea squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan), Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk)

Defenders: Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Tae-hyon (Kashima Antlers), Park Jin-seob (Zhejiang), Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade), Jens Castrop (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien), Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), Cho Yu-min (Sharjah)

Midfielders: Kim Jin-gyu (Jeonbuk), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Forwards: Son Heung-min (LAFC/), Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besitkas), Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland)

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Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will face off in an exhibition match in South Korea in January ahead of the Australian Open, organisers said Monday.

Italy’s Sinner usurped his rival from Spain as world number one after winning the Paris Masters for the first time on Sunday.

Four-time Grand Slam winner reclaimed the world number one ranking by defeating Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in the final of the Paris Masters after Carlos Alcaraz suffered a surprising early exit in the second round.

As the pair head into the ATP Finals, taking place from November 9-16 in Turin, defending champion Sinner has significantly more points to defend compared to the Spaniard, who exited last year’s season-ending event during the group stage.

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Following the ATP Finals, the two best players in men’s tennis will meet in the “Hyundai Card Super Match” on January 10 in Incheon, near Seoul.

“For domestic tennis fans, it will be the very first opportunity to see the two top-ranked players compete,” said a Hyundai press release.

Carlos Alcaraz, who has complained about there being too many matches on the ATP Tour, leads their head-to-head record 10-5.

Jannik Sinner will defend his Australian Open title in the first Grand Slam of 2026, which begins in Melbourne on January 18.

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Son Heung-min said South Korea need to show the big teams less respect at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after recovering from being “punched” by Brazil to beat Paraguay.

The captain Son and his teammates were hammered 5-0 by Brazil in a friendly in Seoul last week, but got back on track with a 2-0 home win over Paraguay on Tuesday.

Son, who set a new record for South Korea’s men’s team with his 137th appearance against Brazil, urged his side to ignore their opponents’ reputations at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

“When we go up against strong teams, we have to think about how we can be more aggressive,” said Son, now playing for Los Angeles FC.

“For instance, I think we respected Brazil too much and that had a big influence on the result.

“We now know it hurts to get punched like that, and we have to learn how to fight back.”

South Korea have upset more fancied teams at the World Cup before, famously beating Portugal, Italy and Spain on the way to the semi-finals on home soil in 2002.

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They scored a goal in each half against Paraguay in Seoul, through Eom Ji-sung and Oh Hyeon-gyu.

Son Heung-min played only the first half after appearing for just over an hour against Brazil.

The 33-year-old forward said he was proud of his team’s performance just days after the Brazil humiliation.

“After a big loss like the one we had, players can feel discouraged, and it can show on the pitch,” said Son.

“To see my teammates put that behind them and pounce on their chances, I felt really grateful as their captain.”

Tuesday’s friendly was played out in front of a disappointing crowd of 20,000.

“If we play better football and more entertaining football, then I am sure fans will return to the stadium,” said Son.

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Palestine gave South Korea a major scare in an entertaining 0-0 away draw on Thursday as they attempt to reach the FIFA World Cup for the first time.

Making their debut in the third stage of Asian qualifying and 96 in FIFA’s rankings to South Korea’s 23, Palestine refused to be overawed for much of an open contest in Seoul.

Palestine play their home matches abroad, usually in the Middle East, because of the war in Gaza.

The local league has been suspended and many of the players are without a club.

Despite those obstacles, they thought they had taken the lead in the 22nd minute at the 66,000-capacity Seoul World Cup Stadium, only for the goal to be correctly ruled out for offside.

The hosts, under their fourth coach this year with Hong Myung-bo, looked shaky at the back and were struggling to get their talisman and skipper Son Heung-min into the game.

Their best chance of an even first half fell to Lee Kang-in, but Palestinian goalkeeper Rami Hamadeh just about kept out the Paris Saint-Germain player’s well-struck close-range effort.

The Palestinians appeared to tire in the second half and were restricted to rare but dangerous breakaways.

Lee was again guilty of missing a glorious chance when he shot wildly, then was denied with a 74th-minute free-kick that Hamadeh tipped over the bar.

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Oday Dabbagh then went close for the visitors on the break, before Spurs star Son rattled the outside of the Palestine post in the dying minutes.

Palestine could have won it themselves late on, only for goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo to save the hosts from an embarrassing defeat.

There were boos from the home fans at the end and the coach Hong said: “I’m sorry we couldn’t win this first match.

“The players did their best.”

Under their Tunisian coach Makram Daboub the Palestinian team have reached new heights this year.

At this year’s Asian Cup, they won a game for the first time in the history of the competition, defeating Hong Kong 3-0.

That put them into the knockout rounds of the tournament, another first, before going down 2-1 to hosts and eventual champions Qatar.

The squad trained in Malaysia for the South Korea game and will return there to prepare for their next qualifier, against Jordan in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, in what is nominally a home match.

Palestine reached this stage of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for the first time by coming second behind Australia in their group, winning two, losing two and drawing two of their six matches.

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IPOH: Pakistan crushed South Korea 4-0  to register their second consecutive victory in the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here on Sunday.

Pakistan earned an early advantage with Hannan Shahid hitting the net with a field goal in the third minute. Meanwhile, Arshad Liaqat further extended Pakistan’s lead in the 20th minute with a brilliant field goal.

Pakistan scored their third goal against South Korea with a field goal by Ghazanfar Ali in the 27th minute, maintaining their attacking momentum.

South Korea made several attempts in the third quarter to reduce the deficit, however, Pakistan’s defence kept them under control.

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Meanwhile, Sufyan Khan converted a penalty corner in the 50th minute to seal a 4-0 for Pakistan.

It’s worth mentioning that Pakistan had a flying start to their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign with a nerve-testing 5-4 victory over Malaysia on Saturday. They will next face Japan on May 7.

Pakistan squad for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

Goalkeepers: Abdullah, Muneebur Rehman.

Defenders: Usama Bashir, Ehtisham Aslam, Mohammad Abdullah, Sufiyan, Abu Bakar (vice-captain), Ammad Butt (captain).

Midfielders: Salman Razzaq, Arshad Liaquat, Moin Shakeel, Zakria Hayat, Murtaza Yaqoob, Ghazanfar Ali.

Forwards: Abdul Rehman (Sr), Abdul Hanan, Rana Waheed, Ejaz Ahmad.

Standbys: Akmal Hussain, Aqeel Ahmad, Arbaz, Hammad Anjum, Abdul Rehman (Jr), Abdul Manan, Rooman.

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