Korea is overwhelming Vietnam.
The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, is playing an October A-match warm-up match against Vietnam (95th in FIFA rankings) at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 17th. With the first half over, Korea is ahead 2-0 thanks to goals from Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan.
South Korea’s starting list consisted of Cho Hyun-woo, Lee Ki-je, Kim Min-jae, Jeong Seung-hyeon, Seol Young-woo, Hwang Hee-chan, Park Yong-woo, Lee Jae-seong, Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min, and Cho Gyu-seong. Kim Seung-gyu, Kim Jin-soo, Hwang In-beom, Hong Hyun-seok, Kim Jun-hong, Lee Soon-min, Moon Seon-min, Hwang Ui-jo, Jeong Woo-young, Kim Young-kwon, Kim Joo-seong, Kim Tae-hwan, and Oh Hyun-gyu were on the bench list.
Vietnam has Dang Van Lam, Phan Tuan Tai, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Do Duy Myh, Vo Minh Trong, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Do Hung Dung, Truong Thien Anh, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Dinh Bac, and Pham Tuan Hai. Started as a starter.
Suwon World Cup Stadium was dyed red. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said, “Tickets for the ‘Hana Bank Invitational National Football Team Friendly Match’ between Korea and Vietnam to be held at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 8 PM on the 17th were sold out at 2 PM on the 17th. There are a total of 4 seats at Suwon World Cup Stadium. “There are about 11,000 seats,” the official announcement said. Suwon World Cup Stadium has been sold out for three consecutive games, excluding the COVID-19 era.
Before kickoff, coach Park Hang-seo appeared on the ground. Coach Park Hang-seo earned the nickname ‘Saldink’ while leading the Vietnam national team and U-23 team from 2017 to January 2023. He is considered Vietnam’s best coach of all time. He became a soccer hero for Vietnam when he won the AFF Suzuki Cup (now Mitsubishi Cup) with the Vietnam national team for the first time in 10 years. He also achieved the great feat of becoming the first Vietnam to advance to the World Cup final qualifying round.
While leading the Vietnam Under-23 (U-23) national team, he also achieved various achievements in age-group national team competitions, such as finishing as runner-up in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship and fourth in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Looking at his A match record alone, he was in charge of 53 matches over 1,934 days, with 26 wins, 12 draws and 15 losses. Coach Park Hang-seo, who laid down his Vietnamese coaching baton this year, is still revered as a Vietnamese soccer hero.
The first opportunity came in the 3rd minute of the first half. Hwang Hee-chan’s use was noticeable in the early stages of the game. Hwang Hee-chan dug in from the left and crossed. Park Yong-woo boldly tried to hit the ball that came out, but it went wide over the goal.
The first goal was scored 5 minutes after the game started. Lee Kang-in sharply delivered a corner kick, and Kim Min-jae flew up alone and took the header. The Vietnamese goalkeeper couldn’t do anything at all. The combination of Lee Kang-in, the future of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Kim Min-jae, the key player of Bayern Munich, exploded in two consecutive games. In the last game against Tunisia, it was recognized as an own goal, but Lee Kang-in’s corner kick and Kim Min-jae’s header were very threatening.
It’s been 13 months since Kim Min-jae scored a goal. Kim Min-jae performed well, showing good scoring ability as soon as he moved to Naples in the 2022-23 season. It has been a long time since he scored against Lazio in the 5th round of the league last season. It is the first time in four years that he has scored a goal for the national team. This is the first time since the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship against China held in December 2019.
Vietnam had no control over Korea’s build-up work at all. In the 10th minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min came together for the first time in the game. Lee Kang-in cut from the right to the center and delivered a pass as Son Heung-min ran into space. Unfortunately, the defense kept in check and hindered Son Heung-min.
Korea ran the game unilaterally. In the 14th minute of the first half, the attack started again with Hwang Hee-chan. From Hwang Hee-chan, through Son Heung-min and Cho Kyu-sung, the ball came back to Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang Hee-chan’s bold shot in front of the penalty box was blocked by Vietnam’s strong defense.
Korea created an opportunity on the right this time. The attack began with Lee Kang-in in the 15th minute of the first half. Lee Kang-in sent it to Seol Young-woo, and Seol Young-woo sent a good cross to Lee Kang-in who penetrated into the penalty box. Lee Kang-in finished with a non-stop shot, but it hit the goalpost. Lee Kang-in tried to score a goal in two consecutive games following the previous match against Tunisia, but unfortunately failed.
Korea was attacked without mercy. In the 17th minute of the first half, Korea took possession of the ball through Son Heung-min’s pressure. Lee Kang-in broke through the defender and delivered a pass to Son Heung-min. It was a perfect opportunity, but Son Heung-min’s shot was blocked by the goalkeeper. It was a disappointing finish, uncharacteristic of Son Heung-min. Afterwards, Korea continued to attack without losing concentration, but Cho Gyu-sung and Seol Young-woo’s shots were blocked by the defenders.
Vietnam is in danger of conceding goals. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Vietnam went on the attack for the first time. Hoang Duc sent a sharp cross in front of the goal. A cross that went over Kim Min-jae’s height was connected to Tien An. Lee Ki-je was too easily deceived by the opponent’s feint and fired a threatening shot, but it missed the goal.
Korea widened the gap again. In the 26th minute of the first half, Lee Jae-seong received a pass from Son Heung-min in the center and distributed a killer pass to Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang Hee-chan overcame a contest with a defender and calmly pushed in to make it 2-0. Hwang Hee-eun continued his scoring sense from his team Wolverhampton. Hwang Hee-chan has already scored 6 goals this season.
Hwang Hee-chan’s run continued. In the 28th minute of the first half, Hwang Hee-chan once again showed tremendous explosive power from the left side. A sharp cross was thrown in front of the goal, and although it hit Cho Gyu-seong’s head exactly, it missed the goal.
Korea’s defense was shaken once again. In the 29th minute of the first half, during the build-up from the back, Seol Young-woo attempted to release pressure and committed a pass miss. As the defense gap was far away, he immediately allowed Dean Park a shooting opportunity. However, Dean Park’s shot also went high into the sky.
Compared to the defensive anxiety, the perfection of the offense continued to be high. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Son Heung-min received the ball in the center and passed it to Lee Kang-in. Lee Kang-in slowed the tempo slightly and passed a pass to Cho Gyu-seong, who was returning. Cho Gyu-seong’s powerful shot was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Lee Kang-in showed off his talent throughout the game. In the 34th minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in took a free kick opportunity in a good position. Lee Kang-in, who took the kicker, attempted a kick that exquisitely passed the Vietnamese defense wall, but missed slightly. It was a scene that showed how sharp Lee Kang-in’s kicking sense is, having scored his A-match debut goal with a free kick against Tunisia. Lee Kang-in was also very disappointed.먹튀검증
At the end of the first half, Seol Young-woo complained of an injury during a battle with his opponent, causing concern among fans, but he returned to the field. Jae-seong Lee’s shot just before the end of the first half was unfortunately blocked. The first half ended like this.