For a while, a smile is back on the face of Korean football. Winning in Singapore is nothing special. No disrespect to the Southeast Asian nation, but Thursday’s World Cup qualifier went as well as it could have.
Firstly, it was a 7-0 thrashing. Son Heung-min scored twice, as did Lee Kang-in with the first goal from the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, a thing of beauty. Another big star, Hwang Hee-chan scored and all was well.
More importantly, the win confirmed Korea’s place in the final round of qualification for the 2026 World Cup. That starts in September when the 18 remaining teams compete for Asia’s eight places.
There is one game remaining in this round, and that is against China in Seoul on Tuesday.
“Just as we gave our fans joy with the win over Singapore, we would all like to finish this round well on our home pitch,” interim coach Kim Do-hoon said 스포츠 as the team returned home from a sold-out Singapore National Stadium. “It’s not just myself. Everyone on the team feels the same.”
Usually in this situation, there would be a certain relaxation going into the final group game when the group is already won. For Korea now, the priority is the next stage and an extra match is a chance to look at some new players and, perhaps, tactics.
But this may be different. China heads to Seoul with their World Cup hopes in the balance. They have eight points from five games, just three above Thailand, the rival for the second spot which also provides entry to the final stage of qualification. Thailand hosts Singapore in Bangkok and it is assumed the team will win quite comfortably. If so, then if China loses in Seoul, then the dream of only a second World Cup is over.