Hong Myung-bo, who took off "Cha and Po", today's Iraq match...The solution is "Side Attack".

3rd qualifying round vs Iraq at 8pm tonight, Group B 4 in Group B

South Korea will face No. 1 in Group

and No. 2 in the group ahead of goal difference with 7 points...a watershed moment in the World Cup finalsIf I beat Iraq, I'll go straight to the finals...It's like "Score 6".

[Anchor]
The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play the fourth match of the World Cup qualifying round against Middle Eastern powerhouse Iraq tonight.

Coach Hong Myung-bo emphasized that "early scoring" is important in today's game, so what is the solution to this?

I'm connecting you with a reporter. Reporter Lee Daegun!

Today's game starts at 8 p.m., right?

[Reporter]
Correct.

The fourth Group B match of the World Cup qualifying round against Iraq will be held at Mir Stadium in Yongin.

South Korea currently has seven points and is leading the group in goal difference against Iraq.

As it is a showdown between the first and second places in the group, it is a game that has a great impact on advancing to the finals.If you are in the top 2 of the

group, you will be given a direct ticket to the finals, but if you beat Iraq today, your advance to the World Cup finals will be smooth.

That's why we say it's a six-point game.

Coach Hong Myung-bo said at a press conference yesterday that he gained confidence in the national team and emphasized that 'early scoring' is so important.

I'll listen to it myself.

[Hong Myung-bo / Coach of the national soccer team: Overall, the team gained a little confidence after the match against Jordan and in many ways, it is much better than in September...]

[Anchor]
"Early score" means that you will play offensive soccer from the beginning, but Iraq's defense is not easy, right?

[Reporter]
If we are spears, Iraq is a shield.

As such, Iraq's strength is "crowded defense."

Iraq won two games despite scoring just two goals in three third qualifying matches.

It was possible because the defense, which did not concede a single goal, is holding out.

Since Casas' appointment, Iraq has been stable in the direction of soccer that it will not lose points.

The player to watch out for in the Iraq attack is Ayman Hussein, who is 189 centimeters tall and has scored 29 goals in 78 A matches.

Let's hear from Kim Min-jae, the key and interim captain of our national team's defense.

[Kim Min-jae / Provisional captain: I've met him at the stadium about two or three times, and he's a player who shows strength in aerial ball and provisional rights, and he's a striker, so I think I need to pay more attention to provisional rights.]

[Anchor]
Then, the biggest issue is how to penetrate Iraq's dense defense, and Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan, the national team's offensive center, are both missing, right?

[Reporter]
In the long run, it means playing without all the cars and guns.

However, we can find a solution to today's game in Oman and Jordan, which have won two consecutive games.

In both games, he started attacking from the side and scored the first goal to take the lead in the game.

This is the importance of 'early scoring' that head coach Hong Myung-bo emphasized yesterday.

On the right, there is a floating wing called Lee Kang-in, but the left wing is a concern.

Lee Seung-woo and Moon Sun-min came in as Hwang Hee-chan and Um Ji-sung were injured one after another in the last game, and here is Stoke City's Bae Jun-ho.

In particular, Bae Joon-ho is expected to start today's game, as he recorded the highest accurate pass success rate and additional goal help in the team even though he played half the game away from Jordan.

[Hong Myung-bo / Coach of the national soccer team: Bae Jun-ho is a growing player, but he feels that his growth rate is fast. [I think he's a good player who likes to play inside as well as his team]

[Anchor]
You said not only the last Jordan game but also the Iraq match was a must-have for coach Hong Myung-bo.

After all, it's because of the controversy over the appointment of the director, right?

[Reporter]
That's right.

In particular, if you look at today's game alone, it's a six-point match because it's the first and second place in the group, but it's a game you shouldn't lose to coach Hong Myung-bo.

Since Hong's appointment, he has been beaten by a humiliating draw against Palestine, but it is fortunate for Hong that he has shown good performances in the match against Oman and Jordan since then.

Controversy continues over the appointment of a director, and most recently, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo In-chon is blatantly pressing for a change of director.

You may think that the national team's atmosphere is also unstable, but looking at the atmosphere of yesterday's press conference, I think it's better than before.

It's about Kim Min-jae, the temporary captain of the national team.

[Kim Min-jae / Team Korea's defensive/interim captain: Since it's a game against the second place at home, I think we have to bring the game unconditionally, and the atmosphere is made by the players inside, so all the players seem to be trying to make that atmosphere well]

What this atmosphere will lead to in the Iraq war will be proven tonight after 8 p.m.

I'm Lee Daegun of YTN.


Video editing: Joo Hye-min