South Korean players warm up at the start of a training session ahead of a World Cup qualifying match against Oman at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on March 17, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will try to inch closer to a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup this week without their best defender.
South Korea will face Oman at 8 p.m. Thursday at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, some 20 kilometers northwest of Seoul, in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification.
Through six matches, South Korea sit atop the Group B table with 14 points from four wins and two draws, three ahead of Iraq and five clear of Jordan, South Korean’s next opponent on March 25.
With the top two teams from each of the three groups grabbing their tickets to the World Cup, South Korea can secure their spot by winning the two upcoming games at home.
However, they will have to do so without Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae, who was dropped from the national team on Saturday due to left Achilles tendinitis. He had been dealing with the injury for weeks, and Bayern had said Friday Kim would be out at least a couple of weeks.
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo on Monday claimed that Bayern Munich had failed to properly protect Kim and prevent injury, costing the Taegeuk Warriors their best defender for crucial matches.
Even without Kim, though, South Korea, ranked 23rd, should have little trouble beating No. 80-ranked Oman.
South Korea prevailed 3-1 in their previous meeting in September in Muscat, where South Korean defender Jung Seung-hyun was charged with an own goal. Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min and Joo Min-kyu were the goal scorers for the winning side and all three are back on the squad this time.
Hwang, however, only recently returned from a long injury layoff, as did Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom. Joo, on the other hand, is in fine form for his new K League 1 club, Daejeon Hana Citizen FC, as he leads the South Korean league this season with five goals in five matches.
Son, longtime captain for both South Korea and Tottenham Hotspur, has had an up-and-down season for the Premier League side. Hong has spoken about managing Son’s workload, though he is too important for South Korea to spend much time on the bench.
If veterans are compromised, Hong will look to youngsters to pick up the offensive slack. Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic FC, 22, has been the hottest South Korean player in Europe over the past month, with four goals and five assists in his past seven matches in all competitions. KRC Genk forward Oh Hyeon-gyu, 23, has netted 10 goals in all competitions this season, the first time he has reached double figures in goals in Europe.
In the absence of Kim Min-jae on the backline, South Korea will rely on center backs who have mostly been complementary pieces, such as Cho Yu-min of Sharjah and Jung Seung-hyun of Al-Wasl.
Veteran goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo has been named to the team after returning from a broken nose suffered in February. He has played with a protective facial mask for Ulsan HD FC in the K League 1.
(Yonhap)
