The controversial Hong Myung-bo arrived in Oman. He will sweat hard for victory.
Led by coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean national soccer team will meet Oman in the second round of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North-China at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman, at 11 p.m. on Saturday (Korea time). The team tied 0-0 at the first round match against Palestine.
Amid negative public opinion toward the Korea Football Association and Coach Hong Myung-bo, Korea had a 0-0 home draw with the Palestinians. Coach Hong Myung-bo sent out a number of key players including Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Hwang In-beom, Kim Min-jae, and Seol Young-woo. The Palestinians played defensively, while the Korean team operated aggressively. Despite this, they failed to make significant shots in the first half, and lost a point, but the game was cancelled as they were ruled offside. The first half was a complete poor match.
In the second half, South Korea introduced Oh Se-hoon to make changes to the front line. Hwang Hee-chan was also on the offensive, but Lee Kang-in’s free kick was blocked by the goalkeeper and Son Heung-min’s shot was hit by the post, which was disappointing. At the end of the second half, Cho Hyun-woo blocked the Palestinians, even though he gave them a dizzying opportunity. The result was a 0-0 draw.
As a result, Hong Myung-bo, who did not get all of the content, faced even greater criticism than before. The booing and criticism in the stadium caused controversy as Kim Min-jae argued with the crowd. Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in asked their fans to cheer for them, but public opinion shows no signs of calming down. In this situation, Hong Myung-bo went on an away trip to Oman.
After the match against Palestine, he departed for Oman through Incheon International Airport in the early morning of July 7. Although the public sentiment was chilly, fans gathered to cheer for Hong. After flying to Oman via Qatar’s Doha, the ship arrived in Oman at around 11:30 a.m. on July 7, and had a rest before sending her to adjustment training from the evening. Many Korean fans welcomed him there as well. 토토사이트
The team must produce results in the match against Oman. If the team fails to win the match against Oman without changing its form, public opinion on Hong will fall into an uncontrollable quagmire. We need to wait and see how much changes Hong will make compared to the match against Palestine.