▲ Members of the South Korean men's national football team train at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 31, 2021, ahead of World Cup qualifying matches against Iraq and Lebanon, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Members of the South Korean men's national football team train at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 31, 2021, ahead of World Cup qualifying matches against Iraq and Lebanon, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Members of the South Korean men's national football team train at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 30, 2021, ahead of World Cup qualifying matches against Iraq and Lebanon, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Members of the South Korean men's national football team train at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 30, 2021, ahead of World Cup qualifying matches against Iraq and Lebanon, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Members of the South Korean men's national football team train at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 30, 2021, ahead of World Cup qualifying matches against Iraq and Lebanon, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Paulo Bento, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, addresses his players during practice at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 30, 2021, ahead of World Cup qualifying matches against Iraq and Lebanon, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-World Cup qualifying

S. Korea looking for winning start as final World Cup qualifying round opens vs. Iraq

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's journey to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is about to get more daunting, and the Taeguk Warriors will get an early taste of it this week with the start of the final Asian qualifying phase.

South Korea, world No. 36, will host the 70th-ranked Iraq on Thursday for their first Group A match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

South Korea will then play No. 98 Lebanon at 8 p.m. next Tuesday at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of the capital.

Other opponents in the group are: Iran (26th), the United Arab Emirates (68th) and Syria (80th).

South Korea breezed through the second round, putting up five losses and a draw while scoring 22 goals and conceding one. But the competition will be decidedly tougher against the five Middle Eastern foes in the new round, with only the top two teams from the group securing spots in next year's World Cup.

The third seed from Group A will play the No. 3 team from Group B in a playoff match, with the winner advancing to the last-chance intercontinental playoff.

South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986, including as a co-host with Japan in 2002.

Head coach Paulo Bento has summoned all of his top dogs, eyeing six points from two opponents well below South Korea in the rankings. Captain Son Heung-min, who has two goals in three Premier League matches for Tottenham Hotspur this season, will once again be the key cog in the offense. France-based striker Hwang Ui-jo, who leads all South Korean players with 13 goals since Bento took the helm in August 2018, will look to add to that total. Hwang Hee-chan, who joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, will want to prove his worth as the latest South Korean to make it to the Premier League.

On defense, Kim Min-jae, who left Beijing for the Turkish club Fenerbahce during the summer, will be the anchor, with his usual sidekick, Kim Young-gwon of Gamba Osaka, expected to complete the center back duo.

Bento will look to bank on youthful energy from rising stars like Lee Dong-gyeong and Song Min-kyu on the attack, while international veterans such as Nam Tae-hee and Lee Jae-sung bring stability and an offensive touch to the midfield.

In goal, former World Cup members Jo Hyeon-woo and Kim Seung-gyu will be vying for the starting job.

One internal challenge for South Korea will be the lack of training time as a full squad. Son, Kim Min-jae, Hwang Ui-jo and Hwang Hee-chan all arrived in South Korea on Tuesday, one day after camp opened, and will only have one day of practice on Wednesday before taking on Iraq.

South Korea have seven wins, 11 draws and two losses against Iraq. This will be the two countries' first meeting since a friendly on June 7, 2017.

There will be a familiar face for South Korean football fans on the Iraqi bench. Dick Advocaat, who coached South Korea at the 2006 World Cup, took over Iraq at the end of July, and Thursday's match will be his first match with the new team.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]