First A-match since the discord rumors: Son Heung-min and '96LINE' all start... Moreno's side sets up SON and Oh Hyeon-gyu as a two-striker front for Saudi Arabia match

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Just one day after captain Son Heung-min and '96LINE' members Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, and Hwang Hee-chan issued a joint statement, all four appeared together in the starting lineup for the Saudi Arabia match.

The South Korea national football team, led by interim head coach Roberto Moreno, will play the first of two November A-matches against Saudi Arabia at 11:30 p.m. (KST) on the 13th at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

Coach Moreno will deploy Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) as a two-striker front. Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke) and Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid) will support the attack from both flanks, while Hwang In-beom (Porto) and Park Jin-seop (Zhejiang) will handle midfield duties.

Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Lee Han-beom (Club Brugge) will form the core of the back four. Cho Hyun-taek (Ulsan HD) will play left fullback, and Seol Yeong-woo (Augsburg) will play right fullback. Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) will guard the goal.

What draws attention in today's starting lineup is Son Heung-min and three other players born in 1996. Amid rumors of discord within the national team surrounding the four-match A-match series in September and October, Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, and Hwang Hee-chan issued a joint statement on the 12th, one day before the Saudi Arabia match.

The five players stated that they gathered in one place after assembling in Doha and had an honest conversation about the national team's preparation process and management.

They also drew a clear line by stating, "It is completely untrue that we tried to push through specific demands on the condition of retirement."

Four of the five players who signed the statement will start the match, while Lee Jae-sung will begin from the bench.

Son Heung-min's 60th career A-match goal is also a point of interest. Son, who scored his 59th goal with a free kick in the match against Uzbekistan on the 6th of last month to surpass former head coach Cha Bum-keun (58 goals), will become the first male South Korean player to reach the milestone of 60 A-match goals if he scores one more.

South Korea is ranked 32nd in the October International Football Federation (FIFA) rankings, which is 23 spots higher than Saudi Arabia (55th). The head-to-head record is evenly matched at 5 wins, 9 draws, and 5 losses. In their most recent meeting in the Round of 16 of the 2024 Qatar Asian Cup, the match ended 1-1 after extra time, and South Korea won on a penalty shootout.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original