Tough test in China awaits Korea and Klinsmann
South Korea's Cho Gue-sung, left, celebrates with Son Heung-min after scoring against Singapore during the first half of the Group C match in the second round of Asian World Cup qualification at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap
One World Cup qualifier down, one to go. South Korea's national team has seen an interesting year, and if it can win in China on Tuesday, then it really will end on a high. It is the toughest test yet for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann since he arrived in Seoul.
The first qualification game for the 2026 World Cup went as smoothly as expected last Thursday with a 5-0 win over Singapore in front of a crowd of 64,000. This is the second round, which consists of 36 teams around Asia divided into nine groups of four. The top two from each group will advance to the final stage of qualification. If Korea can follow up their first win with another in Shenzhen on Tuesday then a place in the top two will be well within reach.
However, it is going to be a tough game. China has a poor record against South Korea and has won just two times in over 30 encounters though one of those was in qualification for the 2018 World Cup, a painful evening for Korean fans. The Reds would love nothing more than to beat their more successful neighbor. There will be a big crowd and a hostile atmosphere just as there was in Changsha six years ago.
China, a team full of experienced players, picked up an impressive opening game win in the group, defeating Thailand 2-1 in Bangkok. That means that the team, going for a second-ever World Cup appearance, maybe a little happier just to collect a point against the Koreans, which would give them four points from the first two games with two games against Singapore to come. This should provide them with six points and a foot in the next stage if everything goes according to plan for the Chinese.
Wu Lei has returned home after a spell in Spain and remains a talented forward and an exciting player to watch and there are other tests. China is likely to present a physical one for the Koreans. This caused problems for the Thais at times. It should be less of an issue for the Taeguk Warriors but that remains to be seen. The likes of Son Heung-min, who played through the pain barrier in the win over Singapore, may well be on the end of some aggressive challenges.
"I am not the only one hurting out there. Everyone plays with some bumps and bruises," Son said after the game in which he played the full 90 minutes despite limping at one point. "Playing for the national team is a tremendous honor that I've always dreamed about. And we have to create our own path to the World Cup. I can't just give up just because I am hurt."
Fans of Son's Tottenham Hotspur in England may not appreciate these comments from one of their stars but Son is going to play if at all possible. His coach needs him. When Klinsmann got the job last February there were concerns that he did not possess the tactical acumen to take a team that had appeared at ten successive World Cups. If he can produce a good performance and result in China, it will be a positive sign. It is the German’s biggest game yet, by some distance. It is a big game all around between two fierce Asian rivals.