It was a ground condition that was too embarrassing for the national team to play on.
The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo (56), drew 1-1 against Oman in the seventh match of Group B of the 3rd qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, held at Goyang Sports Complex at 8 p.m. on the 20th.
South Korea maintained its somewhat precarious first place in Group B with 15 points (5 wins, 3 draws). If South Korea had defeated Oman and Jordan, it could have secured its spot in the World Cup finals early. However, the shocking draw against Oman has postponed its qualification.
Hwang Hee-chan has revived. In the 41st minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in delivered a sharp pass. Hwang Hee-chan, who received the ball in Chonbang, finished it off with a goal without any mistakes. Hwang Hee-chan celebrated with a salute and roared.
South Korea conceded a frustrating equalizer to Ali Al Busaidi in the 35th minute of the second half. Despite pushing hard until the end, South Korea ultimately could not find the winning goal and ended in a draw. The plans to secure qualification for the World Cup finals at home have fallen apart.
There can be no excuses for poor performance due to external factors. However, no one can deny that the grass condition was atrocious. The state of the grass at Goyang Sports Complex was not at a level suitable for the representative players to compete. At first glance, it appeared to be good grass like a carpet.
However, upon closer inspection, it was terrible. When players shot or passed, the grass tore and sunk when they stepped on it. The grass was too shallow and did not take root properly on the ground. The grass fibers tore under even slight impacts.
Once the grass was torn, there were depressions all over the field. If a player's foot gets caught in such small puddles, they could fall and sustain serious injuries. Coincidentally, both Baek Seung-ho and Lee Kang-in were hurt when their feet got caught during abrupt turning movements. This is not unrelated to the state of the grass.
Another issue is that the ground surface supporting the grass was too hard. There was also a scene where Son Heung-min's foot sank when he shot. No proper performance can emerge in such ground conditions. Surprisingly, compared to other venues, the condition in Goyang is said to be better.
After the match, Baek Seung-ho said, “When I exerted force, the grass lifted, and the ground was too hard. I was disappointed in many ways.”
The national team will conduct training at Yongin Mir Stadium for two days starting on the 22nd. Last year, the national team played an A match there, and Jeonbuk and Gwangju used it as their home ground in the AFC Champions League. It is relatively one of the better places in the country regarding grass condition.
Afterwards, the national team will face Jordan at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 25th. The recently renovated Suwon World Cup Stadium is known to have a better grass condition than Goyang. Suwon Samsung played two matches against Chungnam Asan on the 15th and Seoul E-Land on the 19th. The grass issue did not cause significant problems.
The reporter accompanied the national team on their away game to Jordan last October. Although the facilities at the stadium in Jordan were poor, the grass was top-notch. Even Omani players were quite taken aback by the state of the grass in South Korea. Can South Korea defeat Jordan without worrying about the grass?
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