Hong Myung-bo’s “interim captain” Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) emphasized “communication” with his colleagues and vowed to prevent the next opponent’s Iraq attack.
At a press conference for the fourth Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup held at Mir Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on the 14th, Kim Min-jae said, “I think it’s a ‘six-point match’ because it’s a match against the second place at home. We have to bring the results unconditionally,” adding, “It would be the best if we take both the content and the results, but we have to focus on the results first.”
The national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play at this stadium at 8 p.m. on the 15th for the fourth Group B match of the World Cup Asian qualifying round against Iraq.
Kim Min-jae, who became the “temporary captain” in place of Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who was not called up this time due to a hamstring injury, started the third away game (2-0 win) against Jordan on the 10th and played full time to lead a scoreless victory.
South Korea, which has three undefeated matches (2 wins, 1 draw, 7 points, +4 goals), including two wins in the World Cup qualifiers, has the same points as Iraq (7 points, +2 goals), but is at the top of the group in terms of goalscoring.
Kim Min-jae said, “I’m not motivated by saying special things to the players as a temporary captain,” adding, “It’s important to talk about what went wrong in today’s last training session and communicate with all the players.”
“I’m seven to eight years apart from young players. We have to connect and communicate well with each other about the uncomfortable part,” he said. “The atmosphere is created by the players inside, but everyone is trying to create a good atmosphere.”
Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) and Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City), 꽁머니 who displayed impressive performances as substitutes in the match against Jordan, said, “Players are always preparing well. I try to play with confidence even when training. Young players may feel uncomfortable, but I try to create a comfortable atmosphere. Then I can play more comfortably in the stadium. I think that was a positive factor for the match against Jordan.”
Ayman Hussein (Al-Kor) is cited as a player to watch out for in the Iraq attack.
Hussein, a 189cm tall striker, scored 29 goals in 78 A matches.
At this year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, he scored five goals in four games until the round of 16, and at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he played as a wild card, he boasted his scoring ability by scoring two consecutive goals in the group stage.
Kim Min-jae said of Hussein, “We have faced off in matches two or three times, and he is a player who is strong in aerial ball and provisional rights. He is a striker, but he is persistent and adamant.”
“I think we need to pay more attention to the right to provide. We need to be careful of balls that come up to the side cross or second balls that drop,” he said. “I will talk well with the inexperienced players and cover them up, and let’s do the strong part and block them well.”