Seoul: Young players thrust into the lineup for South Korea's final World Cup qualifying match Tuesday night capitalized on their opportunity and helped their team to an easy win. South Korea beat Kuwait 4-0 to conclude Group B play in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea had already qualified for the 2026 World Cup by beating Iraq 2-0 last Thursday, and Tuesday's match gave head coach Hong Myung-bo an opportunity to test young and inexperienced players in the national team setting, under relatively little pressure. Among seven new players who entered the starting lineup, midfielder Bae Jun-ho and striker Oh Hyeon-gyu passed the test with flying colors.
Bae, in just his eighth international match at age 21, had South Korea's first two dangerous chances in the first half. He first saw his header go off a defender and hit the right post in the 11th minute, and then tested goalkeeper Sulaiman Abdulghafoor with a well-struck shot from the left side of the box in the 19th minute. In the second half, Bae transformed himself into a playmaking wizard. He set up Lee Kang-in's goal that put South Korea up 2-0 with a pass that split the defense in the 51st minute. Only three minutes later, Bae found Oh by heading down a Hwang In-beom cross deep in the box.
Bae nearly assisted another goal by Oh in the 56th minute with a through ball that set up a fast break -- except that Oh hit the right post this time. Bae said afterward he didn't want to waste his precious opportunity to start. "I wanted to be safe and not make mistakes," the Stoke City midfielder said. "I wanted to show as much as I can because I won't have that many chances to start, and I think I did that. It's an honor to be with the national team."
Oh had also scored against Iraq as a second-half substitute, after Oh Se-hun, unrelated, got the start. The latter didn't play Tuesday, and Oh Hyeon-gyu may have an inside track to the starting forward job. "I was just so happy to get this start, and I got emotional listening to our national anthem at the start," Oh said. "The coach gave me a chance to play, and I wanted to reward him with a goal. I am happy to have made the most of my chance here."
Oh, 24, traveled with the national team for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as an emergency backup in case of an injury. He was ultimately not needed and didn't see any action during South Korea's run to the round of 16 then. This time, he could possibly be the starting striker. "The next year or so will be really crucial. I will have to establish myself as a starter with my club before I can come here and start for the national team," said the forward for the Belgian club KRC Genk. "I will try to be back for national team matures down the road."
Asked if he has done enough to leave an impression on Hong, Oh said: "I am a long ways to go. I am not even satisfied with myself yet. But I can't wait to see what the 12 months will bring." With the pressure of having to qualify for the World Cup off the team, Oh said he and his teammates enjoyed themselves Tuesday night. "We talked before the match about how we should try to have fun," he said. "And we all played with a ton of confidence. I think we young guys produced some positive energy tonight."