Son Heung-min of the soccer team departs for the United Arab Emirates at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the afternoon of the 26th. News 1
The Korean national football team, which finished first in Group A of the 2022 Qatar World Cup final qualifier by defeating Iran for the first time in 11 years, will play the final match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is noteworthy whether the Bentuho, whose organization is getting stronger day by day, will achieve the ‘beauty of the belligerent’ by decorating the final 10 matches undefeated.
The national team, led by coach Paulo Bento, will play the 10th round of the World Cup Asian final qualifier against the UAE at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 29th at 10:45 pm (Korean time).
Bentuho has already qualified for the finals for the 10th consecutive World Cup. However, he is determined to step forward in the final stage with the first place in the group by bursting with fireworks against the UAE. Coach Bento said, “I will win all the remaining matches regardless of whether I advance to the finals.”
If they beat the UAE, the national team will automatically secure the first place in the group regardless of the result of Iran’s final match. Korea is the only undefeated nation among the 12 participating countries in the Asian final qualifying round. It will also break the record for the highest win rate in the World Cup final qualifiers. After the league-style final qualifier was introduced, Korea’s highest win rate was 75% (6 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) set by former coach Beom-geun Cha at the 1998 World Cup in France. If the UAE is captured, Bentuho’s win rate is 80%.
South Korea’s record is 13 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses, far ahead of the UAE. It is analyzed that it is possible to win multiple goals in a long time as the players’ condition has reached their peak by breaking the Iranian draw jinx. It is also interesting to see if ‘Captain’ Heung-Min Son, who has promised Yoo Jong’s beauty, will score a goal. Son Heung-min, who scored the winning goal against Iran, scored four goals only in the final qualifying round and tied for the lead in scoring in the final qualifying round with Junya Ito (Japan) and Saleh Al Shehri (Saudi Arabia).
Son Heung-min can also aim for the most goals in his career in the World Cup final qualifiers. The current highest goal scorer in the final qualifying round is Gangwon FC coach Choi Yong-soo, who scored seven goals in the 1998 World Cup final qualifying in France alone. Son Heung-min, who scored one goal each in the 2014 World Cup Brazil and 2018 World Cup final qualifiers, will set a tie record if he scores a goal against the UAE. Here Major players such as Hwang Ui-jo (Bordeaux) and Kim Min-jae (Fenerbahce) arranged their stamina as substitutes against Iran.
However, the fact that the UAE is on the brink is a point that the national team should be careful about. UAE are currently 3rd in Group and still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup through the playoffs. If they lose to Korea, they will be defeated by Iraq, which is in fourth place, making it impossible to advance to the playoffs. The key is how Bentu will fill the void left by injury. Won Doo-jae (Ulsan), who was previously selected as a substitute for Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk), was confirmed with Corona 19, and missed due to a right shoulder injury. Attacker Jo Kyu-seong (Gimcheon) and defender Park Min-gyu (Suwon FC) left after the Iran game was confirmed.
Dongsoon Choi reporter dosool@hankookilbo.com
