Korea Republic men’s national team have extended their unbeaten streak to six games in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
 

Led by interim coach Kim Dohoon, the Taegeuk Warriors claimed a hard-fought, 1-0 victory over China PR in the final Group C match staged at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Tuesday, with Lee Kangin scoring the only goal of the night midway through the second half. Having already secured the pole position and passage to the third round by defeating Singapore 7-0 last week, Korea Republic rounded off the second round with 16 points from five wins and a draw.
 

The third round of qualifying will commence in September, with 18 participating nations divided into three groups of six teams. Top two teams from each group automatically qualify for the world finals, with the rest of the teams competing for the remaining two and a half tickets at stake in the fourth round.
 

Captain Son Heungmin became the fourth most capped player alongside Lee Youngpyo with 127 games – the most capped Korea Republic player is Cha Bumkun with 136 appearances for his country.

It was a desperate stand for China PR who were facing elimination, as they sat back and defended in numbers against one of the most formidable attacks in the continent. Korea Republic struggled to attempt a shot on target until the 20th minute, as the visitors kept the hosts at bay midway through the first half.
 

The first chance of note fell into the feet of Son Heungmin, who dribbled through a couple of defenders before firing a low shot that Wang Dalei managed to parry away. Son then saw his free-kick twice denied by the wall of defenders, before Lee Kangin dragged a low shot straight at Wang on 29 minutes.
 

The Chinese fought back against the run of play on the stroke of half-time, only for Liu Yang’s point-blank effort deflected amidst a goalmouth scramble on 43 minutes.
 

Then it was the visiting fans from China that attempted to intimidate Son Heungmin, as they booed the Korea Republic captain who happened to approach the south stand in the closing minutes of the first period. The No7 put a typical smile on his face before turning towards the hostile crowd with his fingers indicating the 3-0 scoreline from the previous encounter with the Chinese in November, much to the delight of the home fans who saw what had happened on the giant screen inside the stadium.

The second half unfolded in a similar pattern to the first, as Korea Republic continued to struggle in front of goal despite taking control of the game. Hwang Inbeom saw his effort from an acute angle swerve out of the target four minutes after the interval.

Kim Dohoon then reshuffled his side with a double substitution, with striker Joo Minkyu and full-back Hwang Jaewon coming off the bench on the hour mark. The duo had barely took a dozen steps on the pitch when the deadlock was finally broken. Son Heungmin broke into the left side of the area before sending a low cross into the crowded goalmouth, where Lee Kangin was on hand to put his name again on the scoresheet following a brace against Singapore.

The hosts kept up the pressure with Joo Minkyu and Kwon Kyungwon coming close to doubling their advantage, but as it turned out, one goal was just enough to seal the victory.

2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers

Second Round

Group C

Korea Republic 1-0 China PR

Goal: Lee Kangin 61’

KOR: Jo Hyeonwoo, Kim Jinsu, Kwon Kyungwon, Cho Yoomin, Park Seungwook (Hwang Jaewon 61’), Jung Wooyoung, Hwang Inbeom (Park Yongwoo 90’+5), Lee Jaesung (Joo Minkyu 61’), Lee Kangin (Hong Hyunseok 78’), Son Heungmin, Hwang Heechan (Bae Junho 90’+5)