Tottenham’s Son Heung-min, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in, Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae and Wolverhampton’s Hwang Hee-chan. It is the first time in the history of Korean soccer that a large number of players playing for prestigious European clubs have been on the national soccer team. These Fantastic 4 boast one level of performance in every A match. 스포츠토토핫
South Korea, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, won 3-0 in the second Group C match of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup Asian qualifying round against China at the Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China on the 21st. It is the second consecutive World Cup qualifying round.
Captain Son Heung-min added two goals and one assist, and Shinsung Lee Kang-in added one assist. Hwang Hee-chan induced a penalty kick within 10 minutes of the start, and Kim Min-jae showed off the eighth inning of the interception and silenced the booing of 40,000 Chinese spectators.
Recently, the national team’s Fantastic 4 is strong. South Korea won five consecutive official games with a win over China. It is a perfect record of 19 points and 0 points during the period. Including the match against Wales 0-0 draw in September, the team has not lost a point in six consecutive matches.
There is a reason why they are glad to see their performance. South Korea aims to win the 2023 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in Qatar in January next year. With Fantastic Four’s performance, Korea is inflating its dream of winning the championship for the first time in 64 years.
South Korea failed to use its strength in the Asian Cup, overshadowing the word Asian leader. Since winning in 1956 and 1960, there have been no wins, and only two finals have been made in 1988 and 2015. In the previous 2019 United Arab Emirates tournament, he lost 0-1 to Qatar in the quarterfinals, losing his pride.
South Korea struggled with the opponent’s dense defense at every Asian Cup. There were many similar patterns in the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, and I remember that I managed to get a ticket to the World Cup finals.
However, the current national team is completely different. The recent cool goal feast proves this. In the second Asian qualifying match against Singapore held on the 16th, the opponent played a so-called ten-back defense as 10 field players stayed behind the half-line.
Until the first half, there was a frustrating trend, which Lee Kang-in broke with his personal skills. He handed over a lobbing pass that seemed to be measured with a ruler to Cho Kyu-sung Mit Whelan, and the atmosphere changed when the first goal was scored.
As soon as the second half began, Hwang Hee-chan’s header goal and Son Heung-min’s unique left-footed kick goal burst to neutralize Singapore’s defense. At the end of the game, Lee Kang-in took charge of a thunderous left-footed wedge goal and completed a 5-0 victory.
The match against China was a game in which the opponent’s rough play was concerned. Before the game, the Chinese home crowd cheered for the non-manner who booed when the national anthem was played, and shot a green laser at the Korean players.
However, Korea surpassed China’s rough play with a set piece. Son Heung-min scored his first goal by winning a penalty kick using the opponent’s rough play, and the second goal was made into Son Heung-min’s header following Lee Kang-in’s corner kick.
After the match, Son Heung-min said, I’m practicing various set-piece attacks. It was a lucky score, but Park Yong-woo Al Ain’s screen and Lee Kang-in’s pass were good, he smiled.
Kim Min-jae, who was in charge of defense, also played well. When China launched a counterattack or took a shot, Kim Min-jae blocked them in front. Kim Min-jae blocked China’s attack by recording eight interceptions on the same day. Kim Min-jae was unable to play the A-match due to the basic military training schedule in June, but after his return, South Korea recorded no points in all six games.
It is the condition of the strong team to win three points without missing this opportunity when facing a team with a lower level of power. In this regard, South Korea has recently overwhelmed Asian countries by presenting various attack options. On top of that, with set-piece scores, coach Klinsmann’s offensive football seems to be in place.
Bahrain No. 83 in the FIFA rankings, Jordan No. 82 in the FIFA rankings, and Malaysia No. 137 in the Asian Cup, all of which are considered to be below the mark. This is why Korea’s spectacular performance is expected.