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Taeguk Warriors limp to 1-1 draw with Oman in disappointing World Cup qualifier

Published: 20 Mar. 2025, 22:41 Updated: 21 Mar. 2025, 12:18

Son Heung-min reacts after the final whistle of a World Cup qualifier between Korea and Oman at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi on March 20. [NEWS1]

The Taeguk Warriors limped to a disheartening draw with Oman in a third round match of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup on a chilly Thursday night at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi.

Coming into the match without stalwart center back Kim Mim-jae, who was out with an injury, manager Hong Myung-bo had some tough decisions to make with his starting XI, opting to rely on veteran Lee Jae-sung in the midfield and captain Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan on the flanks. Despite his impressive run of form in Scotland, Celtic young buck Yang Hyun-jun didn’t make the cut.

The game started slowly, as Korea remained content to bounce the ball around the back line with the occasional exploratory pass up either flank before retreating. Oman seemed equally willing to absorb the pressure and attempt to fire a long ball over the top.

Play progressed up to the half-hour mark without a single shot on goal as Korea claimed 62 percent of the possession and started to warm up with some promising movement in the corners.

The momentum swung wildly in Korea’s favor when Paik Seung-ho went down with an apparent cramp in the 37th minute. The tension in the stands was electric as the big screen on the south end showed Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in kitting up.

The winger came on and, perhaps hoping to put his lackluster recent club form behind him, immediately looked to make an impact, getting involved and demanding passes.

It didn’t take long, as he found himself with the ball sitting just outside the center circle in Oman’s half and a Korean attacking four squarely in line with the Omani defense. Wolverhampton’s Hwang found a gap in the line and pounced, triggering a through ball from Lee that Hwang easily slotted into the bottom-right corner in the 40th minute.

Hwang Hee-chan scores for Korea at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi on March 20. [NEWS1]

The goal marked his first for the national team since September — coincidentally, also against Oman in Korea’s away leg of the third round of the qualifiers — having missed the last three matches in October and November due to injury.

The Taeguk Warriors looked more threatening with Lee on the pitch, and the side went into the break with nearly 70 percent possession.

That would be as good as it would get.

After nearly 20 minutes of some poking at prodding at the Omani penalty area, Hwang was brought off as manager Hong decided to bring on a more natural center midfielder in Bae Jun-ho.

The match trudged along, with an inordinate amount of possession for the home side not translating into much of anything in the third of the pitch that mattered most.

Oman suddenly struck out of nowhere in the 79th minute, when Sulaiman Ali Al-Busaidi received a ball that cruised passed an injured Lee Kang-in, who hit the floor in the preceding Omani attack after attempting to make a tackle. Korea was caught sleeping and the visitors’ captain waltzed into the penalty area and fired the ball home.

The confusion among the Korean side — presumably over why play wasn't stopped for the downed Lee — turned to concern as the playmaker had to be helped off the pitch by the team physios, who were quick to signal that his night was over. The one bright spot for Korea on the night had to be carried down the tunnel, replaced by Celtic’s Yang.

Lee Kang-in is helped off the pitch during a World Cup qualifier between Korea and Oman at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi on March 20. [NEWS1]

Korea never looked like pulling ahead after Oman pulled level, save for the occasional longball to the corners, and the scoreline ended in a disappointing 1-1.

One could, at times, be forgiven for thinking that this was an exhibition match and not a penultimate decider for a ticket to the greatest show in sports, with Korea guaranteed a berth had they won both of their March qualifiers. At other times, a lack of cohesion was evident enough as the attacks petered out on failed through balls with passer and recipient out of sync.

Whether Lee’s seemingly serious injury or the lack of impetus behind Korea’s play is a graver concern remains to be seen, but the Taeguk Warriors have one more match against Jordan in Suwon, Gyeonggi, next Tuesday to give the fans something to cheer for.

BY TOM MCCARTHY [[email protected]]