Oh Se-hoon, Oh Hyun-kyu, and Lee Jae-sung Goals... Hong Myung-bo's Team Beats Iraq 3-2 for 3rd Consecutive Win

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, secured their position at the top of Group B by achieving three consecutive wins in the third round of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian qualifiers.

On the 15th, South Korea defeated a tough opponent, Iraq, 3-2 in the fourth match of Group B at the Mir Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, with goals from Oh Se-hun, Oh Hyun-kyu, and Lee Jae-sung. Before this match, both South Korea and Iraq had identical records of 2 wins and 1 draw, but South Korea pulled ahead by 3 points after winning the head-to-head match.

Oh Se-hun started as the forward, with Lee Kang-in and Bae Jun-ho positioned on the right and left wings respectively. In midfield, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang In-beom, and Park Yong-woo took their places, while the defense was managed by Lee Myung-jae, Kim Min-jae, Cho Yu-min, and Seol Young-woo.

Oh Se-hoon is cheering after scoring the opening goal in the 41st minute of the first half during the 4th match of Group B in the 3rd round of the Asian qualifiers for the North and Central America World Cup held at Yongin Mir Stadium, Gyeonggi-do on the 15th.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

At the 41st minute of the first half, Oh Se-hun scored the opening goal.

Hwang In-beom delivered a long pass just below the center line to Seol Young-woo, who penetrated the opponent’s back space. Seol Young-woo then made a cutback after advancing deep on the opponent’s right side. The ball deflected off the opposing defense and connected to Bae Jun-ho on the left, who passed it to Oh Se-hun in the center. Oh Se-hun lightly finished with his right foot, scoring his debut goal in an A-match.

Just 5 minutes into the second half, the equalizer was conceded. Iraq’s key forward Ayman Hussein scored to level the match.

Coach Hong Myung-bo sought to change the momentum by bringing on Oh Hyun-kyu and Moon Seon-min at the 14th minute of the second half, substituting Oh Se-hun and Bae Jun-ho.

The substitutes Oh Hyun-kyu and Moon Seon-min created the winning goal at the 29th minute of the second half. Moon Seon-min broke down the opponent’s left defense with a skillful touch. After penetrating deeply to the end line, Moon attempted a cutback. The ball deflected off the opposing defense and bounced out, where Lee Jae-sung caught it and made another cutback, which connected to Oh Hyun-kyu’s goal.

Oh Hyun-kyu is celebrating after scoring the go-ahead goal in the 29th minute of the second half during the 4th match of Group B in the 3rd round of the AFC qualifiers for the North and Central America World Cup against Iraq, held on the 15th at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Gyeonggi-do.
Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Jae-sung scored the insurance goal 9 minutes later. At the 38th minute of the second half, Lee Myung-jae delivered a cross, and Lee Jae-sung dived to head the ball into the Iraqi goal.

Lee Jae-sung and Oh Hyun-kyu scored in two consecutive matches, following their goals in the game against Jordan on the 10th. Notably, Lee Jae-sung scored both goals with his head.

South Korea conceded a goal to Ibrahim Baishi just before the end of the match, but the whistle blew immediately afterward, ending the game with a 3-2 victory for South Korea.

South Korea secured 10 points with 3 wins and 1 draw, while Iraq remained at 7 points.

The Hong Myung-bo-led team will play their 5th and 6th matches of the third round qualifiers against Kuwait and Palestine on the 14th and 19th of next month, respectively. Both matches will be away games.