Lee Jae-seong is sharing his joy with Cho Kyu-seong, who scored the opening goal in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia Regional 2nd Qualifying Group C 4th match between Korea and Thailand held at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on the 26th.
The national soccer team, with Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) playing hard, won a complete victory in a difficult away game in Thailand.
The national soccer team (22nd in FIFA rankings) led by coach Hwang Seon-hong played the 4th match of Group C of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asia Region 2nd qualifying round against Thailand (101st) held at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on the 26th. won 3-0. Korea maintained an advantage over Thailand with a record of 31 wins, 8 draws, and 8 losses.
Korea, with an undefeated streak of 4 games, has 3 wins and 1 draw (10 points), and has a gap with China in 2nd place with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss (7 points), and Thailand in 3rd place with 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses (4 points). By expanding further, they crossed the 9th division ridge to advance to the final World Cup qualifiers.
Korea won in regular time for the first time in seven games since winning 3-1 against Bahrain in the first match of the last Asian Cup group stage. Korea had recorded 5 draws and 1 loss in the last 6 games based on results within 90 minutes, including a 0-2 loss to Jordan in the Asian Cup semifinals and a draw against Thailand in the World Cup qualifiers.
Coach Hwang Seon-hong, who took over the temporary baton during difficult times, finished the two-game series with Thailand with one win and one draw and returned to his ‘real job’ as coach of the Olympic team.
The initial flow was not easy. Thailand, backed by the support of 50,000 people, harassed Korea with fierce force.
Thailand first threatened Korea with a powerful mid-range shot by Supachok Sarachat in the 2nd minute of the first half. Korea intentionally tried to pressure Thailand through strong forward pressure, but Thailand also did not back down and raised its line to fight back. As Thailand blocked the second line with strong pressure and tackling, Korea targeted the space behind the opponent with a long pass sent forward at once. However, the attack was not easy. Son Heung-min’s shot in the 13th minute of the first half was blocked by the Thai defense, and Lee Jae-seong’s infiltration in the 17th minute of the first half was ruled offside and was canceled. If we didn’t find a way out quickly, it could have led to a difficult situation, but fortunately, we were able to take advantage of just one chance and score. The starting point was Lee Kang-in. In the 19th minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in made a sharp penetration pass between three defenders, and Cho Gyu-seong passed the goalkeeper and returned it toward the goal. Lee Jae-seong concentrated on pushing the ball in even though he was tangled with the defender, scoring the first goal. This is Lee Jae-seong’s first A-match goal in eight games and his 11th overall goal. It was a valuable opening goal that came at the right time against the home team Thailand, which is good at counterattacking. Thailand, who had been dealt a blow, became more aggressive, but Korea finished the first half by taking advantage of the lead and cleverly turning the ball around, controlling the tempo and increasing possession. Thailand showed great enthusiasm at the beginning of the second half. In the 4th minute of the second half, Jaroensak Wingorn showed his will to counterattack with a powerful shot from the right. However, Korea, which successfully overcame Thailand’s initial counterattack, took the lead again and increased its market share. The additional goal was also Korea’s responsibility. This time, Lee Kang-in’s feet were loosened. When Lee Kang-in made a quick breakthrough in the midfield and gave it up to Son Heung-min on the left side, Son Heung-min succeeded in scoring by hitting between Patiwat Khammai’s legs with a clever shot even in a situation where there was no angle. Son Heung-min’s 4th consecutive goal in the World Cup qualifiers. After the two-goal difference, Thailand’s motivation and stamina dropped significantly. Korea strengthened its defense and continued to target space behind Thailand with quick counterattacks. Thailand was impatient and went on the attack, but Korea had more chances afterwards. In the 33rd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min shot after running about 40 meters, but missed the goal, and in the 35th minute of the second half, Joo Min-gyu (Ulsan) had a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper, but failed to score due to interference from the following defense. Against Thailand, who had a wide gap between them, Korea did not lose concentration until the last minute and even scored an additional goal. In the 37th minute of the second half, from a corner kick, Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) dropped the ball and Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk) finished the ball into an empty goal, scoring a key goal. Park Jin-seop’s debut goal came in his 6th international match. Korea, with more composure, finished the game by increasing its possession in the remaining time and achieved a pleasant complete victory. 토토사이트