FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Thailand force South Korea to share spoils

Published at :March 21, 2024 at 10:07 PM

Modified at :March 21, 2024 at 11:50 PM

Son Heung-min was on scoresheet for South Korea

In their first game since Jurgen Klinsmann’s dismissal, South Korea lost their World Cup qualifying match 1-1 at home against Thailand on Thursday, despite a goal by Son Heung-min.

With seven points from three games, South Korea leads its group and is still expected to advance to the next round of the 2026 qualification process despite the draw.

It was also the first match following reports of an altercation between South Korea’s captain Son and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain during the Asian Cup, in which South Korea lost 2-0 to Jordan in the semifinals.The altercation at their team accommodation in Qatar on the morning of the semifinal left Son suffering from a fractured finger.

Lee began Thursday’s game on the bench but entered the game shortly after Suphanat Mueanta of Thailand scored a startling equaliser in Seoul just after the hour.

Thailand, ranked No. 101, and Korea, ranked No. 22, proved to be essentially useless. The Taeguk Warriors struggled against Thailand and displayed a lack of unity.

Hwang announced a couple of minor adjustments to the star-studded Asian Cup roster, benching Jeong Woo-yeong in place of usual midfielder pick Lee Kang-in and starting attacker Joo Min-kyu in place of Cho Gue-sung on his initial appearance at 33 years and 333 days.

Early on, the team found it difficult to deal with the pressure of the Thai players, giving up the ball and failing to muster any significant offensive output while having limited ball possession. Supachai Chaided had the first opportunity to score in the sixth minute due to poor defence, but goalie Jo Hyeon-woo stopped it quickly.Despite the team’s lack of cohesiveness, midfielder Lee Jae-sung made a significant contribution in the first half by using his excellent positioning and passing to help the team build-up.fortunately, Jeong, Son Heung-min, and Joo were unwilling to generate any chances since the other midfield players were incapable of advancing the ball effectively on the attack.

In the 42nd minute, Korea managed to equalise the score with a goal by Son, giving the home team a 1-0 lead at the half.But in the second half, Korea’s defence continued to look disjointed, and Thailand quickly equalised in the 61st minute.After the equaliser, Lee Kang-in entered the game and made some well-placed crosses, but his teammates were unable to score. The second round of qualifiers will see Korea play Thailand on the road on March 26. Each group will compete in a home-and-away round-robin format. June marks the conclusion of the second round.

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FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Thailand force South Korea to share spoils

Son Heung-min was on scoresheet for South Korea

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