South Korea beat Iraq 2-0 in the Asian World Cup qualifiers to secure their 11th consecutive ticket to the finals, taking Jordan. Who opened the tournament for the first time in history,
in Thursday’s match. Iraqi striker Ali Al Hamadi was sent off in the first half. And in the second half, Oh Hyun-gyu and Kim Jin-gyu scored a goal each.
The result confirmed South Korea, under coach Hong Myung-bo, as the champion of Group B. And will be attending the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time.
Oh, subbed in 15 minutes into the second half. Managed to connect to a cross from Jeon Jin-woo for the second goal.
The Koreans were not at full strength, with head coach Hong Myung-bo’s decision to leave captain Son off the roster. As the Tottenham Hotspur star is still recovering from injury. Another key player, Bayern Munich centerback Kim Min-jae, the defensive anchor for the national team, also missed out through injury.
On the same day, Jordan had Ali Olwan score a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Oman to secure their second place in the group over Iraq. Although the final match is still scheduled to be played,
Iraq still secured a quota to make up for itself in the round of 4, while Palestine will compete with Oman for the other quota.