Hong Myung-bo's Korea look to continue winning run against Palestine

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Hong Myung-bo's Korea look to continue winning run against Palestine

Published: 18 Nov. 2024, 09:56

JIM BULLEY
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From left: Hwang In-beom, Cho Yu-min, Kim Min-jae, Lee Jae-sung and Son Heung-min train at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Nov. 16. [NEWS1]

Korea face Palestine at Amman International Stadium in Jordan on Tuesday in what is perhaps the most important test of the Hong Myung-bo era to date: A shot at redemption against the underdogs that held Korea to a tepid draw in his first game in charge.

A lot has happened since Korea drew 0-0 with Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Sept. 5.

That game was played largely to the sound of boos, aimed mainly at Hong and the larger Korean football establishment. It was the coronation of a new manager that many fans felt had no right to be in the role, poached from a K League club in the middle of the season despite repeated promises he wouldn’t leave and with plenty of questions surrounding the hiring process.

The actual football was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Hong and the KFA, in no small part because it was completely overshadowable — in the first 20 minutes alone Korea controlled 90 percent of possession but had fewer shots on goal than Palestine.

Hong’s squad selection was also controversial, appearing to lean heavily on Ulsan HD players — the same players he’d jilted to take the national team job — at the expense of more obvious picks like Premier League star Hwang Hee-chan.

The red devils, the Korean national team supporters club, made their opinion clear from the start, hanging all their banners upside down before the game started and at one point raising a large KFA logo with black ribbons hung over it in the style of a traditional Korean mourning altar.

But that was then.

Hong Myung-bo, left, leads a training session at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Nov. 16. [NEWS1]

Hong ball may have arrived with a whimper, but the new manager is now sitting on a phenomenal starting record. He may have drawn 0-0 with Palestine, but Korea has won all four games since then, three of them on the road.

Korea arrive in Jordan with 11 goals over the last four games, including a 3-1 win over Kuwait last week. Included in that list is a 3-2 win over Iraq and a 2-0 win over Jordan, both relatively highly ranked for AFC teams.

Korea has even seen its FIFA world ranking start to climb again, inching up to No. 22 but remaining the third-best team in Asia after Japan and Iran.

The narrative around Hong has also started to change. While criticism of the KFA remains — a government probe last month found regulation breaches in the appointment of both Hong and his predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann — attacks on the manager himself have gone quiet. The KFA may be at fault, but the fans seem willing to give Hong a chance.

Against that backdrop, Korea arrive back in Amman — at the same stadium where they beat Jordan last month — to face world No. 100 Palestine, technically the home team but playing in Jordan due to the ongoing Israel-Hammas conflict.

Korea currently sit in first place in Group B of the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a full five points clear with four wins and one draw. Palestine sit in last place with two draws and three loses.

With the top two teams from the group stage advancing to the World Cup, Korea are looking good. The team is also in a good position — while captain Son Heung-min missed the last international break due to injury, he is back and on fine form, scoring his 50th goal for Korea against Kuwait last week.

Son Heung-min, left, celebrates with Lee Jae-sung after scoring against Kuwait at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, Kuwait on Nov. 14. [YONHAP]

The rest of the squad remains strong, with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang as the only notable absence. Big European league names like Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in, Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae, Mainz’s Lee Jae-sung and Feyenoord’s Hwang In-beom all remain in the squad, alongside rising young stars like Stoke City’s Bae Jun-ho, who also scored against Kuwait.

Tuesday’s game will be Korea’s last fixture of the year and Son told reporters Thursday that he’d like to finish on a strong note.

"A lot of people must have been worried when we didn't get off to a good start in this round," Son said, according to Yonhap News Agency. "Hopefully, we'll be able to put on a good performance in ideal conditions and win our last match of the year."

Korea face Palestine at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in Jordan, or at 11 p.m. later that night in Korea.

BY JIM BULLEY [[email protected]]