Son Heung-min of A Match for the first time in 6 months...a sense of responsibility that has become heavier at the back door of anxiety
Son Heung-min of A Match for the first time in 6 months...a sense of responsibility that has become heavier at the back door of anxiety
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The Korean national soccer team, which aims to advance to the FIFA World Cup finals for the 11th time in a row, will play its first match in 2025. Despite persistent defense instability, even its main defenders are excluded from the team due to injury, increasing the importance of the front line. Naturally, the shoulders of Son Heung-min (Tottenham), the core of Team Hong's offense, will also become heavy.
The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play 7th Group B match against Oman at Goyang Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 20th in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup.
South Korea, which has continued its unbeaten streak with four wins and two draws (14 points) in its six previous matches, is leading the group. If the team wins both the match against Oman and the eighth match of the group league against Jordan, which will take place at Suwon World Cup Stadium on Saturday, it will confirm its advance to the finals regardless of the results of the remaining two matches scheduled in June.
Korea is leading in objective strength, including a 3-1 victory in an away match against Oman in September last year. Therefore, Korea is expected to prevail in the upcoming match against Oman, but there are concerns that it will be too early to conclude. It is due to unstable rear.
Korea has allowed five goals in its past six games, and thus has not given up one goal per game. However, it was not easy to watch the game due to unstable defense in every game. Korea's shortcomings in concentration and defense in set pieces are considered fatal weaknesses of the Korean national team.
In addition, Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), a key defensive player, and Lee Myung-jae (Birmingham), a key Birmingham defender, have been excluded from the upcoming national team call-up. Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who maintained the balance of offense and defense in the midfield, is also not in perfect physical condition. Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan), the goalie, also suffered a nasal bone injury last month and is currently playing in a protective mask.
Hong Myung-bo, who is unstable in defense, should put his hope on the front line. Fortunately, strikers such as Ju Min-gyu (Daejeon), Oh Hyun-gyu (Henk), Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic), and Lee Jae-seong (Mainz) have recently shown good condition in their teams.
Son Heung-min, who boasts good physical condition, needs to play the role of maintaining the balance in order for Korea's offense to function well. Since Hong Myung-bo took the helm of the team, Son has led the team's offense by scoring three goals and two assists in four matches. He also scored one goal and two assists in an away match against Oman in September last year, taking part in all of the three goals that Korea recorded, leading the team to a 3-1 victory.
In addition, as Tottenham is focusing on the Europa League of the Union of European Football Associations rather than the league due to circumstances of his team, Son has accumulated physical stamina. While Son is alternating starting pitchers and replacing them, he has accumulated attack points one by one, and is currently making 11 goals and 11 assists this season. He has continued his strides by scoring one goal and three assists in the six matches he has played recently.
Son may also be motivated by the match. After playing the first group match against Palestine held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in September last year, Son was not able to stand in front of his Korean fans for about six months. Son was not called up due to injury in the fourth group match against Iraq held at Yongin Mir Stadium in October last year. As both games played away matches, he was not able to play in front of Korean fans.
Son Heung-min, who is so sincere with his fans that he is always grateful to them, has no choice but to play more enthusiastically. In particular, Son Heung-min has no choice but to draw the victory in his head as he drew 0-0 against Palestine at his most recent home.
Son will also have his own A-match personal record. If Son plays in the match against Oman, he will play in his 132nd A-match, closely trailing Lee Woon-jae (133 matches), the Vietnamese national team's goalkeeper coach who ranks third in the most A-match games in history. The top spot in this category is 136 matches owned by Cha Bum-keun and Hong Myung-bo, the former coach of the Korean national soccer team. 온라인카지노
In addition, Son Heung-min, who has scored 51 goals in the A-match so far and ranked second in all-time goals, is also trying to score the most points in the A-match held by former coach Cha Bum-keun (58 goals).