The third round of Group A of the Qatar World Cup Asian Qualifiers saw a thrilling battle in the Oct. 7 contest. Ansan Wa Stadium in Gyeonggi Province witnessed an exciting matchup in which South Korea came back to beat Syria 2-1. In the 89th minute of the match, Son's key shot locked the score at 2-1, earning the South Korean team three valuable points. Throughout the match, Korea had 23 shots on goal, dominating the field. Although Hwang In-beom scored the first goal in the 83rd minute, it was then equalized by Syria, but it was Son who stepped up to save the game in the closing stages of the match. Currently, South Korea is leading the way with seven points after two wins and a draw in the first three rounds, while Syria continues to be winless with one draw and two losses.
Early in the game, Korea showed a strong desire to attack. In the 4th minute, Syria's main striker Soma left the field with an injury, but luckily, he held on. In the 10th minute, Song Min Kyu received a corner kick from Hwang In Beom at the front of the penalty area and jumped up to head the ball into the goal, but unfortunately, the ball hit the crossbar and bounced out of the bottom line. In the 17th minute, Soma took a left-footed shot from 22 meters out, but Kim Seung-kyu reacted quickly to parry the ball away.
Despite the many shots on goal, Korea failed to break the deadlock in the first half. Hwang Hee-chan missed several good opportunities, and in the 45th minute, he had a one-touch chance on the left side of the box, but his shot went wide of the goal line. At the end of the first half, South Korea took 10 shots, but none of them hit the goal frame, keeping the score at 0-0.
In the second half of the match, South Korea's offense continued. In the 47th minute, Hwang Hee-chan attempted a bouncing ball shot in front of the penalty area, which hit the goal frame but the angle was too right and was easily confiscated by Syrian goalkeeper Alma. In the 48th minute, Hwang In-beom, who is now playing for Ruby Kazan in the Russian Premier League, took a pass from Hwang Hee-chan, dribbled horizontally on the left side of the field, and then shot with his left foot after a sudden stop, putting the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal, giving Korea a 1-0 lead.
