Son Heung-min of the Korean national football team trains before the 2026 World Cup North America and Central America 2nd Regional Qualifying Group C 4th match against Thailand at the Windmill Football Club in Bangkok, Thailand on the 23rd. Bangkok = Yonhap News
As Hwang Seon-hong is about to face Thailand for the second time, attention is paid to see if Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) will start. The men’s football team must win this game to restore their shattered pride and almost secure their place in the final qualifying round.
The men’s national football team, led by interim coach Hwang Seon-hong, is scheduled to play the 4th match of Group C in the second qualifying round of the 2026 Asia North and Central America World Cup against Thailand at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok , Thailand on the 26th. (Korean time).
In the third match held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Thailand performed unexpectedly well, while Korea’s performance fell short of expectations and resulted in a 1-1 draw. Coach Hwang also admitted immediately after the game, “There were parts where the overall sense of stability was lacking.”
Lee Kang-in of the Korea national soccer team arrives at the training ground ahead of the 2026 World Cup North America and Central America 2nd Regional Qualifying Group C 4th match against Thailand at the Windmill Football Club in Bangkok, Thailand on the 23rd. Bangkok = Yonhap News
Lee Kang-in may be selected as a starting player for a win.
Currently, Korea top the group with 2 wins, 1 draw (7 points), but there is only a 4 point gap with Thailand in 2nd (1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss). If you win the away game, you can pretty much confirm the final qualifier and save some time, but if you lose, it can be a complicated situation where you have to consider the number of possibilities. That’s why we have to win this time. Therefore, there are predictions that Coach Hwang may choose Lee Kang-in as a starter.
Lee Kang-in was substituted in the 18th minute of the second half in the first match against Thailand. At that time, Lee Kang-in caught the audience’s attention with his sharp passes and sharp crosses. He is raising fans’ expectations by showing the same ‘perfect chemistry’ with the national team captain, Son Heung-min (Tottenham), with whom he clashed. It is known that his condition is not bad as he shows very light body movements in the local training ground in Thailand. Coach Hwang also said, “Right now, there are players who are tired, but no player is injured.”
The acting coach of the Korean national football team, Hwang Seon-hong, answers questions from reporters before the training held ahead of the second qualifying round of the Asian region of the North and Central America World Cup 2026 Group C fourth match against Thailand at Club Windmill Football in Bangkok, Thailand on the 23rd. Bangkok = Yonhap News
Temperature, Humidity, Grass and Balance
However, the problem is that the national team has many mountains to overcome, regardless of Lee Kang-in’s appearance. First of all, it’s hot and humid. In Thailand, the dry season from March to May is usually the hottest of the year. The temperature is expected to be above 30 degrees at 9:30pm on the 26th when the national team plays. The humidity is around 70-80%, which makes it so hot that you sweat even if you stay still. In order to adapt to an environment that is different from Korea, we left the country the day after the home match against Thailand and are undergoing adaptation training.
The condition of the grass is also a concern. Last July, when Tottenham of the English Premier League (EPL), where Son Heung-min plays, visited Bangkok on an Asian tour, the Rajamangala Stadium was a mess due to heavy rain the day before, and the match was canceled in the eventually However, although there is rain at this time the day before the game, the amount is not great and a clear day is expected on the day of the game, so it seems that there will be no problems with the game.
The key is how quickly the balance lost during home games can be corrected. Coach Hwang said, “It’s the same on the left and the right, and there are a lot of difficulties in defense. It’s hard to make up for it quickly, but (through this) we have to neutralize the opponent’s strengths.” Defense is one of the chronic weaknesses of the national team. Not only during the Qatar 2023 Asian Cup, but also in the first match against Thailand, the equalizing goal was allowed in the second half as defensive concentration was lost. This part needs to be improved in order to dampen the atmosphere in the second game against Thailand.
Son Heung-min and the players of the Korean national football team prepare for training ahead of the 2026 World Cup North and Central America Asia 2nd Regional Qualifying Group C 4th match against Thailand at the Windmill Football Club in Bangkok, Thailand, on the 23rd. Bangkok = Yonhap News
Thailand is in a festive mood…even the prime minister makes an appearance
Thailand’s festive atmosphere continues every day after a surprise draw against Korea. There is even an expectation that ‘if we do well, we can beat Korea’. About 48,000 tickets to the Rajamangala Stadium have already been sold. It is expected that more than 50,000 spectators will gather on the day of the match.
As the atmosphere heated up, even Thailand’s Prime Minister Theta Tawisin came forward. Prime Minister Tawisin told the players on the 22nd, “The points we got in the trip to Korea was a very meaningful achievement for us,” and added, “I would like to thank the players for giving joy to the people. Come back please. to Thailand safely and let’s have another great game on the 26th.” sent a message. He said, who is expected to visit the site on the same day, “We are trying to find a way for the government to support within the regulations,” and he also mentioned the possibility of prizes for the players.
Jinju Kim Reporter pearlkim72@hankookilbo.com
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