[골닷컴, 상암] Reporter Kang Dong-hoon = Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City), who was called up to the national soccer team again after a year, started as a starter in his return game and played full-time. However, unlike the good performances he showed for his team recently, he showed some anxiety, making a fatal mistake that day. Baek Seung-ho also admitted that he lacked concentration that day.
Baek Seung-ho met with reporters in the mixed zone (joint coverage area) immediately after the 1-1 draw against Thailand in the third round of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round against Thailand held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 21st. “The condition of the grass is disappointing, but I don’t want to blame it. I should have played with a little more focus. “We will make further improvements,” he said.
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Previously, Baek Seung-ho was named to the national soccer team’s call-up list (23 players) announced by interim coach Hwang Seon-hong on the 11th, rejoining the national soccer team for the first time in over a year. He re-entered the European stage by transferring to Birmingham during the winter and performed successfully, immediately taking over the starting position. In particular, in the last few games, Baek Seung-ho left a deep impression with outstanding performances, and even received rave reviews locally.
Naturally, soccer fans had high expectations for Baek Seung-ho, and Baek Seung-ho played his 16th international match after receiving the opportunity to play as a starter that day. His last international match was against Brazil in the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup. At that time, he defended his last pride as a Taegeuk warrior by hitting a thrilling mid-distance shot.
Baek Seung-ho defended the midfield in the third line with Hwang In-beom (Crvena Zvezda). However, he showed disappointment by making fatal mistakes from the beginning. As time went by, he began to adapt and played the game stably, but due to the poor condition of the grass, he was unable to make the sharp passes to the front, which were considered his strengths. In the 45th minute of the second half, the decisive shot slightly missed the goal, causing disappointment.
Baek Seung-ho said, “I should have played with more focus in the beginning. After that he did pretty well, but he still had a lot of room to improve in many areas. “I think we need to re-analyze today’s game and think about which areas need further improvement while preparing for the next game,” he said.
He said, “I think it’s been about a year (since we put the Taegeuk mark back on). The reason I went to Europe again was because I wanted to join the national soccer team. “I wanted to put in more effort and show a good performance,” he said, adding, “Thankfully, I got to run again (with the Taegeuk symbol), and I thought I should prepare better and do well.”
On this day, Baek Seung-ho had difficulty delivering sharp forward passes, which is his strength, due to the poor condition of the grass. He said, “Although, during training yesterday, the players talked about the disappointing condition of the grass. “The weather was colder today than yesterday, so (the grass) was frozen a lot in the beginning,” he said, expressing regret. “I am disappointed in many aspects, but I don’t necessarily want to blame the grass.” “I should have played with more concentration,” he said.
When asked about his feelings about wearing the Taegeuk symbol again after moving to Birmingham, Baek Seung-ho said, “I am grateful to be able to go to Europe again. The various goals I have set are slowly being achieved, and in that regard, as much as I am desperate, I want to show a good performance in Birmingham as well. “I will show you how to improve further in the future,” he said.
At the same time, “I got the feeling that the top teams in the English Football League (EFL) Championship were not much different from the English Premier League (EPL). Very tough. “I am learning a new game of soccer, and the coach and colleagues are helping me a lot, so I am adapting and improving more than I did in the beginning,” he explained.
Finally, Baek Seung-ho said, “There were many opportunities. What matters is who can take advantage of the opportunity. Concentration was also disappointing in the areas where goals were conceded. “I think that if we value the opportunity more and make the most of it, we will definitely get good results in the next game,” he said. “The weather in Thailand is hot, but I think the opponent will probably be hot too. “There are many experienced players in that area, so my goal is to adapt quickly and prepare well for the game,” he said.
