Hong Myung-bo's Team Fails to Secure 5th Consecutive Win... Another Draw with Underdog Palestine

Kim Min-jae's Error Leads to Early Goal, Son Heung-min Scores Equalizer
Match Ends 1-1... Son Heung-min Rises to 2nd All-Time in International Goals

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, once again drew against the underdog Palestine in the third round of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian qualifiers. Hong Myung-bo's team failed in their attempt to achieve a fifth consecutive win, and their plan to take a step closer to qualifying for the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time was dashed. South Korea maintained their lead in Group B but faced pressure from the second-place group, Jordan and Iraq.

On the 19th, South Korea played an away match against Palestine in the 6th match of Group B in the third round of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian qualifiers at the Amman International Stadium in Jordan, ending in a 1-1 draw. With this result, South Korea recorded 4 wins and 2 draws in 6 matches of the third round, securing 14 points. The point gap with the second-place group, Jordan and Iraq (both with 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss), is 6 points. However, if Jordan and Iraq win their matches, the point difference will narrow to 3.

South Korea conceded an early goal due to a back pass error by Kim Min-jae but captain Son Heung-min equalized within 4 minutes. However, despite numerous scoring opportunities afterward, they failed to score the winning goal. Son Heung-min scored his 51st goal in international matches, surpassing Hwang Sun-hong, the coach of Daejeon Hana Citizen (50 goals), to become the sole second-highest scorer in international matches.

Son Heung-min is seen doing the "Chalk" celebration after scoring the equalizer in the 16th minute of the first half during the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian third qualifying round Group B match against Palestine at the Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan on the 19th.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Coach Hong Myung-bo deployed the same starting lineup and a 4-2-3-1 formation as in the 3-1 victory against Iraq on the 14th. Oh Se-hun played as the lone forward, supported by Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung, and Lee Kang-in in the second line. Park Yong-woo and Hwang In-beom took the central midfield roles, while Lee Myung-jae, Kim Min-jae, Cho Yu-min, and Seol Young-woo formed the back four.

Palestine is the only team in the third round that South Korea has not beaten. However, they are currently at the bottom with 2 draws and 3 losses in the third round. Accordingly, South Korea pressed Palestine from the start by pushing up their defensive line.

In the 4th minute of the first half, Lee Jae-sung penetrated into the opponent's penalty box but was tackled and fell. There was a video review, but no penalty kick was awarded.

South Korea, who dominated the early tempo, conceded the first goal in the 12th minute due to a careless back pass from the defense. Kim Min-jae’s back pass to goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo led to the goal. The ball rolled slowly backward, and Jo Hyeon-woo found himself competing with Palestine forward Zaid Qunbar, ultimately resulting in a goal conceded.

However, South Korea equalized within 4 minutes. Son Heung-min’s off-the-ball movement shone. Son, who penetrated the left side of Palestine’s penalty box without the ball, received a sharp pass from Hwang In-beom. Despite a tight angle, Son aimed at the far post with an inside foot shot, scoring the equalizer.

Afterward, South Korea occasionally faced counterattacks from Palestine but generally controlled the game and sought the winning goal.

In the 24th minute, Lee Myung-jae sent a long and sharp pass deep into the opponent’s penalty box from the left. Oh Se-hun jumped and headed the ball, but it went over the crossbar.

In the 29th minute, Son Heung-min took a direct free kick aiming at the goal. Although the distance to the goal was considerable, Son’s shot headed toward the lower right corner of Palestine’s goal, and the opposing goalkeeper barely saved it.

At the 43rd minute, Son Heung-min attempted a sharp left-footed shot from the center of the arc area, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. Two minutes later, he delivered a sharp pass to Oh Se-hun, who broke through the left side and penetrated the center, but it did not result in a goal.

During injury time of the first half, the team shook the net from a corner kick, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul. Lee Kang-in’s cross was powerfully headed by Kim Min-jae, and the ball bounced off the opponent’s defense to Park Yong-woo, who headed it into the net. However, the referee had already called a foul, nullifying the goal.

In the second half, South Korea did not ease their offensive pressure. Especially in the first 15 minutes, they created several decisive scoring chances but failed to take the lead. In the 3rd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min showed a powerful right-footed shot inside the penalty box, and at the 6th minute, Lee Kang-in delivered a sharp cross. Oh Se-hun flicked the cross down, and Hwang In-beom rushed in to connect a strong right-footed shot, but it went just over the crossbar.

In the 35th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min shook the opponent’s net but was unfortunately ruled offside. Son received a long pass from Hwang In-beom inside the penalty box, skillfully bypassed the opposing goalkeeper, and scored, but the goal was disallowed due to offside.

South Korea ultimately failed to score the winning goal and ended their last international match of the year with a draw.