Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean national soccer team, is paying special attention to managing the condition of his captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur).메이저놀이터
The national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, returned home through Incheon International Airport's first passenger terminal on the 6th. After taking a break, the team will reconvene on the 8th to prepare for the final Asian qualifying match against Kuwait at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th.
The national team beat Iraq 2-0 at 3:15 a.m. on the 6th (Korea time) thanks to consecutive goals by Kim Jin-kyu and Oh Hyun-kyu in the 9th Group B match of the '2026 FIFA North-China World Cup Asia Regional Qualifiers' held at Basra International Stadium in Iraq.
With the victory, Korea maintained its top position in Group B with 19 points (5 wins and 4 draws), and secured a ticket to the finals, which will be given to the second place in the group regardless of the final result. With the win, Korea continued to advance to the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times since the 1986 Mexico World Cup.
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who met with reporters shortly after returning home, said, "We thank the fans for supporting us until late at night. It wasn't an easy environment, but I think the players showed their desperation for the World Cup finals, so they came out with good results," he said.
Whether Son will play or not remains uncertain. Son missed seven last-minute matches at his club Tottenham due to a bruised foot, and has yet to play in the final league match since he played for about 20 minutes as a substitute in the UEFA Europa League final.
Nevertheless, Son was called up to the national team, and Hong stated that he would use Son depending on the situation after checking his condition in advance. "He was also in the final round of the UEL team, and when I talked with the coach, I was told that there was no big problem. We will make a decision based on the situation and condition of the game," Hong said.
Hong Myung-bo, coach of the South Korean national soccer team
Chances are high that Son will miss the match against Kuwait as well. "His condition is not 100 percent. He can play if he tries too hard, but it is not desirable. As he suffered from injury during the season, he will have to wait a few more days before deciding whether to play in the next match. It is not time to overdo it," Hong said.
At the same time, he evaluated Son Heung-min's role as important. Hong said, "Son Heung-min was not good at playing in the stadium, but he played a good role as a veteran outside. Other players took it well and went to the stadium. He played an important role both inside and outside the stadium."
Hong plans to send off young players in the match against Kuwait. "I can think of young players from the current member. From this moment on, we need to move on to the World Cup system. I will try to recruit young players," Hong said.