Oh Hyun-kyu and Son Heung-min, who played "only 8 minutes," couldn't even work together... Hong Myung-bo Team attack plan A 'question mark'

*This content was translated by AI.

One of the two consecutive tasks in Ivory Coast and Austria, which were the final mock tests ahead of the 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, was to find the best combination of strikers. The key was how to maximize the use of Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), the ace of the national soccer team, and Oh Hyun-kyu (25, Besiktashi), who has the steepest momentum in his team.

However, despite having two key strikers, Hong Myung-bo Team only scored "no goals" in both games. It lost 0-4 to Ivory Coast in a warm-up match in Miltonkins, England, on the 28th (Korea Standard Time), and 0-1 to Austria in Vienna, Austria, on the 1st. There were scenes where individual players made mistakes, such as missing one-on-one opportunities, but they couldn't even find any hints on how to make the most of the two strikers' abilities in the team.

If Son Heung-min was not in good condition due to cold symptoms and the test was not possible, he had to find a way to use it at least in the last warm-up match against Austria. Just in time, Son Heung-min was in good condition enough to start, and he played most of the second half with a first goal in the third minute of the second half.

Throughout the game, Son struggled on the front line. He also had two one-on-one chances by digging into the back space of the defense, but both shots turned away from the post. The disappointing trend of not having a field goal since the opening of the season in his team LAFC seemed to continue in the national team game. It was necessary to take out Oh Hyun-kyu's card to ease the burden on Son Heung-min. After moving to Besiktashi (Turkiye), Oh Hyun-kyu scored five goals and one assist in eight official games, showing the steepest momentum among the national team's strikers.

However, coach Hong Myung-bo only took out Oh Hyun-kyu's card in the 37th minute of the second half, and Son Heung-min was replaced. The two, who had already been replaced in the last match against Ivory Coast, were replaced by a competitive structure instead of coexistence this time. In the end, Son Heung-min and Oh Hyun-kyu were not tested in the last warm-up match. Even the time given to Oh Hyun-kyu, who was the steepest in momentum, was "only 8 minutes" amid Son Heung-min's silence. It was such a short time that I couldn't even get a rating from the soccer statistics media.

In the end, Son Heung-min, the national team's spiritual leader and ace, and Oh Hyun-kyu, who has rapidly grown into the national team's main striker, have to prepare for the World Cup without even confirming the synergy effect. From the other team's point of view, the final mock test was completed without even finding a hint on how coach Hong Myung-bo should use the two strikers, who are burdensome just by their existence.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.