'Excluding Son Heung-min, Oh Hyeon-gyu to start' Hong Myung-bo's bold lineup confirmed... Starting XI for South Africa match revealed [World Cup On-site Lineup]

*This content was translated by AI.

The starting lineup for the crucial match against South Africa, which will determine whether South Korea can advance to the Round of 16 on its own, was suddenly revealed. Coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled a bold starting formation.

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will face South Africa in the final Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, at 10 a.m. Korea time on the 25th.

Son Heung-min (LAFC) will start the match from the bench. In the front line of the 3-4-2-1 formation, Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) will play as the lone striker.

In the second line, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) are positioned to support the attack. In the midfield and wide areas, Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City), and Seol Young-woo (Crvena Zvezda) will form the link between defense and offense.

The defense is built by Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon FC), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), while Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) guards the goal.

Son Heung-min, Jens Castrof (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Eom Sung-seong (Swansea City), and Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland) are waiting on the bench for their chance to enter the match.

South Korea is in a favorable position to advance to the Round of 16. With one win and one loss, they are currently in second place in the group. A draw against South Africa alone will guarantee their qualification for the knockout stage on their own.

However, complacency is not an option. If South Korea loses, they will drop to third place in the group due to the head-to-head rule against South Africa. At the same time, if Czech Republic defeats Mexico, South Korea will be eliminated in last place in the group.

Coach Hong Myung-bo said in a pre-match press conference, "If we think casually about trying to draw, the match will become difficult," and added, "There will be changes in two or three positions in the starting lineup. We will approach the match with the mindset of winning no matter what."

Key defender Kim Min-jae also expressed confidence, saying, "South Africa is a team with excellent individual abilities. We have completed our analysis of the defense and the opponent. If we play as we did against Czech Republic and Mexico, we should be able to defeat South Africa."

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*This content was translated by AI.