The South Korean national soccer team will face off against China in the second Group C match of the 2026 FIFA Asian qualifying round at the Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, China, at 9 p.m. on the 21st.
Ahead of the game, the Korea Football Association (KFA) unveiled its starting lineup. 안전놀이터
South Korea took out the 4-1-4-1 formation. Cho Kyu-sung aims to score at the front line, and Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in will stand in the second line of attack. Park Yong-woo protects the four-back line alone, and Lee Ki-je, Kim Min-jae, Jung Seung-hyun and Kim Tae-hwan will form four-back. Kim Seung-gyu protects the goal.
South Korea beat Singapore 5-0 in the first round in a good mood. China came from behind to win 2-1 against Thailand, and morale is soaring. China, which is aiming for second place in the group after Korea, is gaining popularity among Chinese fans again after defeating difficult opponent Thailand.
China came from behind to win 2-1 in the first game against Thailand on the 17th, putting the first button well. With this victory, China has gained a lot. It held Thailand, a strong second-place competitor in Group C, on the road and gained an advantage to advance to the third qualifying round. Confidence and morale in the squad soared, and Chinese fans’ interest in the national soccer team heated up for the first time in a long time.
China is an “enemy” who has faced South Korea 45 times until friendly matches. But it was not a rival. According to “11v11,” an exclusive website, South Korea has an overwhelming advantage of 27 wins, 12 draws and 6 losses against China. Four of the six losses were losses before 1986.
South Korea will go on an expedition to China for the first time in six years since Game 6 of the final qualifying round for the World Cup in Russia in March 2017.
Over the past six years, Korean soccer has steadily developed. Son Heung-min became the Premier League’s top scorer, and Lee Kang-in, a prospect, became the “most popular” player of France’s “giant” Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Kim Min-jae entered Bayern Munich leading SSC Napoli to the championship and emerged as the world’s best defender.
In addition to these, numerous players, including Hwang Hee-chan, who has become Wolverhampton’s flagship, Mainz’s key midfielder Lee Jae-sung, and Meat Whelan’s Cho Kyu-sung, are engraving their names on overseas stages.
The atmosphere of the Korean national team is the best. They are on a winning streak after a 0-0 draw against Wales in September. The team won 1-0 over Saudi Arabia, followed by a 4-0 victory over Tunisia and a 6-0 victory over Vietnam. He has scored five goals in the match against Singapore, and has scored 16 goals in his last five games.
But we can’t just feel relieved. This is because they were defeated 0-1 in an away match in China in 2017. It still remains an unpleasant game that soccer fans don’t want to remember under the name of the “Changsa Disaster.”
A “disaster” is a label attached because no one expected it. In this moment of good atmosphere, you should never let your guard down. As the last Chinese expedition is a defeat, the opponent’s record does not mean much. Don’t let the tension go.
Meanwhile, Klinsmann, who held a press conference on the 20th ahead of the match, said, “I led the German national team 18 years ago and played against China, winning 1-0. The game with China is so difficult. Therefore, tomorrow’s game will definitely be a difficult game,” he said, adding that he would not let his guard down against China.