South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo (C) shakes hands with his coaches after South Korea’s 3-1 win over Oman in the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat on Sept. 10, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — After notching his first victory in his return as South Korea’s head coach on Tuesday in Muscat, Hong Myung-bo credited his players for making successful second-half adjustments.
South Korea netted two second-half goals to defeat Oman 3-1 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, their first Group B victory in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifying tournament. Captain Son Heung-min broke the 1-1 tie with an 82nd-minute goal, and Joo Min-kyu’s goal during stoppage time finished off the two-goal victory, with Hwang Hee-chan having netted the opener in the 10th minute.
It was also Hong’s first win in his second stint as South Korea’s bench boss. He first led the Taegeuk Warriors from 2013 to 2014, and was brought back to the helm in July this year.
South Korea were held to a goalless draw by Palestine in Seoul last Thursday, giving Hong’s detractors more ammunition. He has been an unpopular choice from the beginning, with the Korea Football Association (KFA) taking heat for its opaque hiring process.
Though Tuesday’s win was a mixed bag of clinical offense and mistake-prone defense, Hong could at least breathe a sigh of relief after getting the first “W” out of the way.
It was his first win as South Korea’s head coach since March 2014.
“This was a difficult match. I’d like to congratulate my players from the bottom of my heart,” Hong said afterward. “Overall, things went according to our game plan. When the match was tied in the second half, we made some tactical changes and the players responded really well.”
After Hwang’s early goal, South Korea dominated the run of play. But then Oman started fighting back and controlled the match in the last 15 or so minutes of the first half.
Hong said his defenders sat back too deep into their own zone and Oman took advantage of extra space.
“We slowed down toward the end of the first half and ended up conceding a goal. We should have ended the first half without giving up any goal,” Hong said. “Our defenders were set up a little too low and made it easier for the opposing players to create scoring chances. But in the second half, we moved the line back up and our players executed the plans well.”
Hong made five lineup changes from the Palestine draw, and one of them paid quick dividends with Hwang getting the first goal. He came on as a substitute in the 58th minute of the Palestine match and served as a much-needed spark plug for South Korea.
“He was great against Palestine and I loved the way he prepared for this match,” Hong said. “He deserved to score the first goal.”
(Yonhap)
