Coach Hong Myung-bo, ahead of the match against Kuwait, said, "Son Heung-min can play, but he is agonizing until the end of his participation."Vice-captain Lee Jae-sung said, "Refund with victory."

Coach Hong Myung-bo, ahead of the match against Kuwait, said, "Son Heung-min can play, but he is agonizing until the end of his participation."Vice-captain Lee Jae-sung said, "Refund with victory."

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While he has confirmed his advance to the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup finals, national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo, who is set to play in the final Asian qualifying round against Kuwait, remained cautious about captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham).

Coach Hong said at a pre-press conference held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 9th, a day before the match against Kuwait, "We will decide whether Son Heung-min will play after seeing training today and having a player meeting with the coaching staff."

The national team won 2-0 against Iraq in the 9th away game of the final qualifying round at Basra International Stadium and accumulated 19 points (5 wins and 4 losses) to confirm the second-place or higher performance in the group, which will be given a ticket to the World Cup finals, and succeeded in advancing to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time.
However, he does not want to play the Kuwait match roughly. To finish the final qualifying round undefeated, he must not lose to achieve the "beauty of the species." With some changes predicted, one of the biggest issues surrounding the national team is whether Son Heung-min will play or not.

Son, who skipped seven matches due to foot injury at the end of 2024-2025 season, was substituted in the second half of the UEFA Europa League final, contributing to his team's first win in 17 years, but he did not play in away matches in Iraq after being called up to the national team. He accompanied his teammates but was excluded from the list. At that time, his number 7 went to his friend Moon Sun-min (FC Seoul), who was born in 1992.

"He can participate in the match," Hong said. "I will talk to him tomorrow (May 10) after the team training is over and decide whether to let him play and how long he will play." "This is the last match of the final preliminary round, and it is a home game. The sweat and efforts of the team should be fully commended. I will do my best until the end."

"The basic framework for team management is maintained. Some changes will be made, and tactical changes will be made occasionally, but we will review players' abilities in key positions while maintaining the overall framework," Hong said. "We will make manuals for administrative and other aspects when the final preliminary round is completed. It is time for a manual to grow our team," he said, referring to his future management plan. 토토사이트

Originally, the captain attended the preliminary press conference ahead of the main A-match, but Hong was accompanied by his vice-captain Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), who served as the interim captain during the away match in Iraq. "The national team is in a good mood as we have achieved great results by advancing to the World Cup finals through hard work from the second qualifying round. We have gained a lot of confidence," Hong said. "We did not have many wins at home games. Everyone is aware of the importance of finishing the match. I want to give my fans a victory," he said, encouragingly.