Late-comer Kim Jong-kyu was the star of the show in the A-match.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by interim head coach Kim Do-hoon, cruised to a 7-0 victory over Singapore in the fifth match of Group C of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup at the Singapore National Stadium on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
The win keeps South Korea atop Group C, which also includes Singapore, China and Thailand, with four wins, one draw and 13 points. The team has clinched the final qualification spot regardless of the outcome of its final match against China on Nov. 11.
South Korea had a goal-fest. They scored a whopping seven goals to win by more than seven points for the first time in nearly five years since an 8-0 win over Sri Lanka in October 2019.
After taking control early in the first half, South Korea increased their lead and put Singapore under pressure. Lee Kang-in opened the scoring in the ninth minute and added to the lead in the 20th minute with a header from Lee Min-gyu. In the second half, South Korea put on a flawless performance, scoring five more goals, with Son Heung-min scoring a brace, Lee Kang-in adding another, and Bae Joon-ho and Hwang Hee-chan adding a brace.
The player of the match was Lee Min-kyu. In his first game under interim head coach Kim Do-hoon, the forward dropped down to the midfield area and struggled to link up passes with the second midfielders, as well as engage in physical battles with opposing 먹튀검증 defenses up front.
He was involved in a whopping four of South Korea’s seven goals. In the ninth minute of the first half, Son Heung-min’s shot from the left side of the box deflected off the opposing goalkeeper, and Lee Min-kyu capitalized on the opportunity and sent a pass into the box. Lee Kang-in beat his opponent to the ball and fired a laser right-footed shot to open the scoring.
In the next few minutes, Korea continued to build on their momentum. In the 20th minute, he rattled the net with a header off a cross from Kim Jin-soo on the left flank.
In the second half, Lee added two more assists. In the eighth minute of the second half, after receiving the ball near the midfield, he played a precise long pass to Son Heung-min, who was wide open on the left flank, and the South Korean scored.
A minute later, he won the ball in the opponent’s area and slipped a pass to the right side for Lee Kang-in to score.
Lee Min-gyu was then replaced by Hwang Hee-chan in the 13th minute 카지노사이트 순위 of the second half. With one goal and three assists, his finishing and link-up play with his teammates was reminiscent of his best friend Harry Kane, who played alongside Son Heung-min. After his header goal, he even mimicked Kane’s signature gesture (the hand downward after jumping).
After becoming the oldest player to make his A-Match debut at the age of 33 years, 333 days in March, ‘Late Mower’ Lee Jong-kyu had the best day of his career, scoring his first A-Match goal at the age of 34 years, 54 days and adding three assists to his tally.