Park Yong-woo (32, Al Ain), who provided the opportunity for the conceded goal, has not escaped the trauma of Jordan.

The football national team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo (56), drew 1-1 against Jordan in the '2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian Regional Third Qualifying Group B Match 8' held at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 25th.

Korea, which has drawn both home games, is in a position where it is being chased by Jordan by 3 points (4 wins, 4 draws, 16 points) against Jordan (3 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss, 13 points). Korea's early confirmation of World Cup finals entry has also evaporated.

There were changes in the starting lineup due to injuries to Baek Seung-ho and Lee Kang-in from the Oman match. Coach Hong Myung-bo set up Son Heung-min as the sole striker with Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-sung, and Lee Dong-jun in support positions. In midfield, Hwang In-beom and Park Yong-woo coordinated.

Hwang In-beom, who returned from injury, was not in 100% condition. However, Hwang In-beom played a key role in the attack by providing clean through balls. Korea dominated possession and attacked much more frequently.

The problem was the role of stopping counterattacks when Jordan had possession. Park Yong-woo was in a situation where he had to coordinate defense and offense while carrying the defensive burden of Hwang In-beom. However, he could not fulfill that role.

Korea allowed a counterattack when Park Yong-woo lost the ball in midfield in the 30th minute of the first half. Goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo made a diving save to block a threatening shot from Al-Naimat. However, the rebound was consolidated by Mahmoud Al-Mardi, who connected with a second shot to score the equalizer. There were as many as 5 Korean players in front of him, but no one jumped to block the shot.

While the defenders who failed to prevent the goal were an issue, it was particularly disappointing that Park Yong-woo provided Jordan the opportunity for a counterattack.

Korea suffered a 0-2 defeat to Jordan in the semifinals of the Asian Cup last July. At that time, coach Jurgen Klinsmann had Park Yong-woo in the midfield. Park Yong-woo made a crucial error that led to Korea conceding two goals.

Coach Hong Myung-bo also did not learn from the experience. Starting again, Park Yong-woo exhibited disappointing play in the match against Jordan that could leave a lasting trauma. With Baek Seung-ho injured, it became a repeat of unfortunate scenes in a position that needed more effort.

[OSEN]