Korea retains Group B lead with 3-1 victory over Kuwait in qualifier

Korea celebrate during a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait on Thursday. [NEWS1]

 
Korea beat Kuwait 3-1 with another cohesive performance under manager Hong Myung-bo in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait on Thursday, retaining the frontrunner spot in Group B with their fourth straight win in the third qualifying round.  
 

Related Article

• Son back in the fold as national team set to line up against Kuwait

• Son Heung-min back to lead Taeguk Warriors in World Cup qualifiers as squad announced

• Korea beat Iraq 3-2 in thrilling World Cup qualifier

 
Korea dominated the first half with good cohesion around midfielders that allowed the visitors to end it at 2-0 en route to their victory.  
 
Regular captain Son Heung-min started on the left flank after missing the October international break due to injury.  
 
Striker Oh Se-hun also started after scoring his first goal for the national team last month, with Lee Jae-sung behind him and Lee Kang-in on the right in a 4-2-3-1 formation.  
 
Kuwait played defensively with their 4-4-2 formation in the first nine minutes, with all 11 players staying in their territory most of the time and adjusting their defense line stably to contain the Taeguk Warriors.  
 
The center of the Kuwait midfield had no room for through-balls, but Hwang In-beom made a sharp cross from a long range, setting Oh to net in a close header to open the scoring in the 10th minute. That goal marked Oh’s second straight goal for Korea after his first against Iraq on Oct. 15.  
 
Hwang imposed a significant presence during the first half, making several key interceptions and passes that allowed Korea to continue to pose threats.  
 
Fellow veteran midfielder Lee Jae-sung also had clear impact on the pitch, diligently pressuring Kuwait hard and contributing in offense.  
 
The midfielders’ efforts led Korea to have enough ball possession with which the team created more chances for the second goal.  
 
Son then earned the penalty himself and stood up to finish the job in the 19th minute, scoring his 50th goal for the national team and becoming the joint second top scorer in national team history alongside Korean football legend Hwang Sun-hong.
 

Korea's Son Heung-min shoots during a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait on Thursday. [YONHAP]

 
Korea did not stop there and continued to find cracks in the Kuwait defense, with Lee nearly scoring through a header that hit the goalpost in the 40th minute.  
 
The set-up to that header was an example of a jointed display. Son perfectly read Hwang’s movements on the left flank and slipped a pass toward him, who set Lee up with a cross.  
 
Kuwait, meanwhile, failed to make valuable opportunities and were busy defending through the end of the first half that ended at 2-0.  
 
The second half saw Korea countering pressure effectively and causing the home side trouble in defense with decisive runs on the edges. The right flank saw quicker attack with fullback Seol Yeong-woo, who displayed pace and accurate crosses.    
 
Kuwait had little time possessing the ball, but still capitalized a counter attack during which Mohammad Daham latched onto a cross to fire a shot into the back of the net in the 60th minute.  
 
Emboldened, Kuwait pressured Korea harder and induced the Taeguk Warriors to make inaccurate passes in their territory.  
 
But Bae Jun-ho, who substituted Son, ended Kuwait’s hopes for the equalizer by taking a tidy shot inside the penalty area for goal No. 3 in the 74th minute. Hwang was a key behind that goal, as he made the through-the-needle pass for Bae.  
 
Kuwait still made diligent movements and had the ball a few times in Korea territory, but none of them could overcome the defense led by Kim Min-jae, who was quick to react to anything and protected the 3-1 score through the final whistle.  
 
Thursday’s win retains Korea’s top spot in Group B, where group winners and runners-up directly qualify for the World Cup.  
 
With the team’s fourth consecutive win in the third qualifying round, Korea will face Palestine on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in another qualifier.  
 

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]