Singapore’s hopes of a ‘draw’ proved too much to hope for.
Singapore, ranked 155th in the Federation of International Football Federations (FIFA), suffered a 0-7 home defeat against South Korea, ranked 23rd, in the fifth match of Group C of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asia Second Qualifying Round at The National Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, on Saturday (June 6) at 9 p.m. ET. South Korea qualified for the third round with four wins and one draw.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference the day before, Singapore defender Sapuwan Baharuddin, 32, said he was looking forward to a good result in front of a packed home crowd and hoped to match the results of Malaysia and Thailand, who also drew with South Korea.
“The last time we played here (in front of a full house) was against Malaysia in 2014,” Baharuddin said. I know this match is also sold out. It motivates us to give a good performance to our home fans.” ”We will give our best against Korea. They know a lot about us, but Malaysia and Thailand have done it before (against Korea). It’s a good opportunity for us to get something out of it in front of a full home crowd.”
South Korea drew 3-3 with Malaysia in their third group game at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2023 Qatar Asian Cup earlier this year under Jürgen Klinsmann. South Korea finished second in the group and qualified for the round of 16. Then, in March, under interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, South Korea drew 1-1 at home with Thailand in the third round of World Cup second qualifying.
Baharuddin was hoping to follow in the footsteps of his ‘rivals’ Malaysia and Thailand and get back to winning ways against South Korea, but it was too much to hope for. He started the game but was unable to contain Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, who had to be stopped.
Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura had vowed to show Singapore’s colors in the pre-match press conference, saying, “Even though Malaysia and 토토사이트 Thailand drew, it’s more important to play our football (than to compare).” However, they were helplessly knocked to their knees by South Korea in front of a ‘full house’.
The opening goal, meanwhile, came from the toe of Lee Kang-in. In the ninth minute, Son Heung-min received the ball on the left side and cut into the center, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper. Lee In-gyu chased down the loose ball and saved it before passing it on. Lee Kang-in received the ball and used a fantastic two-footed dribble to get past the defense before firing a powerful right-footed shot into the net. It was Lee’s eighth A-Match goal and his first with his right foot for the national team.
South Korea quickly added another goal. In the 20th minute, Kim Jin-soo’s cross from the left was met with a leaping header by Lee Min-gyu. It was Kim’s first A-match goal at the age of 34 years and 54 days. It is the second oldest debut goal in A-Match history, behind Kim Yong-sik (39 years, 264 days). After his goal and one assist, Lee celebrated with the famous “poke” celebration that Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) is known for.
After conceding two goals in quick succession, Singapore pressed hard up front and threatened Korea, but it didn’t have much effect as the Koreans were able to 파워볼사이트 추천 break the pressure easily with concise passing play.
‘Captain’ Son Heung-min added a second goal with a stunning solo effort. After suffering from some harsh fouls from the Singapore defense, he dribbled dozens of meters down the left flank, stripped the defender, and then found the back of the net with a right-footed curling kick eight minutes into the second half. It was Son’s 47th A-Match goal and his third in three matches.
The fourth goal came quickly. In the ninth minute of the second half, Kim In-gyu collected the ball near the box and passed it to Lee Kang-in, who dived to his right. Lee Kang-in calmly fooled the goalkeeper with a left-footed shot to complete his multi-goal performance.
Once the goal fireworks started, they didn’t stop. In the 11th minute of the second half, on a counterattack, Son Heung-min picked up the ball on the left side. He cut back into the center and finished with his right foot. It was the first goal of the game. South Korea then added two more goals.
South Korea cruised to a perfect 7-0 victory. Singapore’s nose was flat.
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