Lee Jae-sung of South Korea celebrates after scoring a goal against Jordan during the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on March 25, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SUWON, South Korea, March 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea were held by Jordan 1-1 at home Tuesday for their second consecutive draw in the ongoing World Cup qualification round, failing to step toward an early berth in the big tournament after squandering a first-half lead.
Lee Jae-sung had the match’s first goal for South Korea in the fifth minute at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, in the Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification. But Jordan equalized in the 30th minute on Mahmoud Al-Mardi’s strike, and the two sides couldn’t solve the deadlock over the next 60-plus minutes.
South Korea’s final two matches of the third round will be against Iraq on June 5 in Basra and Kuwait on June 10 at home.
Son Heung-min of South Korea (L) is surrounded by three Jordanian players during the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on March 25, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
There are three groups of six in this round, and the top two from each group will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Teams ranked third and fourth will move on to the fourth round.
With the draw, South Korea managed to stay atop Group B with 16 points, three ahead of Jordan. Iraq, with 12 points, were to play Palestine early Wednesday morning in South Korean time.
South Korea played without two national team mainstays in Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae, who was dropped from the national team on March 15 due to left Achilles tendinitis, and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, who was sent home Saturday after injuring his left ankle against Oman two days earlier.
(Yonhap)
