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| ▲ In this file photo from Feb. 1, 2022, South Korean players and coaches celebrate clinching a berth for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, following their 2-0 victory over Syria in Group A match during the final Asian qualifying round at Rashid Stadium in Dubai. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Paulo Bento, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, speaks at a press conference at the Korea Football Association (KFA) House in Seoul on March, 14, 2022, in this photo provided by the KFA. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
World Cup qualifiers-roster
With World Cup berth secured, top names still join S. Korea for final 2 qualifiers
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- Even with a World Cup spot secured, South Korea will not mess around in their next two qualifying matches, with many of their biggest stars named to the national team Monday.
Head coach Paulo Bento unveiled his 25-man roster for South Korea's final two World Cup qualifiers scheduled for this month.
Captain Son Heung-min, leading goal scorer for Tottenham Hotspur is back in the mix, as is Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan and FC Girondins de Bordeaux forward Hwang Ui-jo.
Mainstays on defense are all back, with Kim Min-jae of Fenerbahce and Kim Young-gwon of Ulsan Hyundai FC once again expected to handle the majority of minutes as center backs.
The midfield corps features Jung Woo-young of Al-Sadd, Lee Jae-sung of Mainz 05 and Kwon Chang-hoon of Gimcheon Sangmu FC.
Suwon FC defender Park Min-gyu earned his first senior international callup.
South Korea will host Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on March 24. They will then visit Dubai to face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 29 and wrap up the qualifying campaign.
South Korea secured a ticket to the World Cup by beating Syria 2-0 in their previous qualifying match on Feb. 1. There are two groups of six nations in the current, final qualifying phase, and the top two teams from each group earn automatic spots. By improving to 20 points with the win over Syria, South Korea locked down at least the No. 2 seed from Group A.
Iran remain atop Group A with 22 points. South Korea, with nothing else left to play for, will try to catch their longtime nemesis over the final two matches.
"We reached the most important goal, and that was to qualify (for the World Cup). But our ambition should be more than that," Bento said in his online press conference. "If we have the possibility to get the first position, we should try in the next two games. I think that is a good challenge for us."
South Korea and Iran played to a spirited 1-1 draw in Tehran in October.
South Korea beat the UAE 1-0 at home in November, though the narrow margin of victory didn't entirely reflect South Korea's dominance on offense.
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