SINGAPORE – For 44 minutes on Thursday (Nov 16), the scoreboard read South Korea 0 Singapore 0 as the Lions dreamed of calming the crowd of 66,700 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. roar.
Then South Korea scored. The floodgates opened.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s side cruised to a comfortable 5-0 win, leaving their loyal fans delighted for their hometown and Singapore wondering what happened in the second half to hit them.
In retrospect, the sheer class of Koreans was always the deciding factor. In order to frustrate their opponents for as long as possible, the Lions set up an ultra-defensive formation, risking being unable to respond once the home team discovered their interest in scoring.
In Group C in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers, they performed bravely and defiantly in most of the game, constantly harassing the South Korean team and maintaining a solid formation.
However, South Korea’s European players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Cho Kyu-sung (Centjylland) and the electrified Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) eventually overwhelmed Singapore with their ruthlessness, leaving the tired Lions Exhausted. Easy pick in the second half.
Frustrating Korean almost worked for Lions
Singapore head coach Takayuki Nishitani may have fielded attackers such as Shahwar Anuar, Song Yirong and Shah Shahiran in the starting lineup, but the entire team started the game deep in their own half and was almost defeated by South Korea. The team is on the lookout. From the first whistle.
The strategy appeared to be working, however, as South Korea looked nervous and hesitant in building their early attack, with Klinsmann on the bench eager to finally break his winless streak in his sixth game in charge.
South Korea’s attack came in waves, but the Lions did well to hold them off, with veteran goalkeeper Hassan Sonny denying Lee Jae-sung’s close-range header in the 29th minute.
The tall Mr. Zhao has been troubling the Singapore team’s defense with his height and strength, but he was unlucky to hit the crossbar with his shot in the 34th minute. But just as the crowd was growing restless and the Lions’ confidence was growing, the 25-year-old struck after 10 minutes.
Lee Kang-in, who was already tormenting the Lions down the right, drifted into the back of the defense with a lovely cross, and no defender was alert enough to Zhao’s sudden sprint, which broke the offside trap and left him unmarked. Taking over Hassan easily.
The home team started the second half in style
The Lions may be cursing an inopportune goal, and when they trot out after halftime, they may be intent on keeping the score the same until the final buzzer for a somewhat respectable away game.
In less than four minutes, South Korea dashed those faint hopes. Cho swept in from the right wing and passed to the far post, where Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan rose majestically to fire an unstoppable header into the goal.
In fact, this goal extinguished the Singapore team’s hopes of a comeback, and the Korean team can also relax and enjoy their game. Son, who received loud cheers from the fans every time he touched the ball, had a quiet game until the 63rd minute, when he brought a moment of pure brilliance to the game.
The Tottenham captain received a pass from right back Xue Yingyu outside the right wing penalty area, turned around, left substitute M. Anumanthan died, and then shot a stunning curve ball from 25 meters away, Fly into the network in the upper left corner. Fans paid to see him, and he delivered.
Things remain grim for Singapore so far, although they had a goal disallowed in the 55th minute when Safuwan Baharudin was tipped for offside on a free kick and he passed his header to Song. , scored without being marked.
However, Song brought down the rampant Lee Kang-in in the penalty area in the 68th minute, which caused trouble for him back in his homeland. Substitute Hwang Ui-jo sent Hassan the wrong way when he scored from the penalty spot.
Lee Kang-in completed a brilliant individual performance in the 85th minute, with the PSG winger punishing Christopher van Heizen’s poor clearance with a searing shot from outside the box to make it 5-0.
It’s a heavy defeat for Singapore, and while it’s not a surprise, they must quickly regroup for next Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Thailand at the National Stadium in Singapore.
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