2024-03-26 06:03:00
Cho Gyu-seong is disappointed when his header missed in the second half of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifier between Korea and Thailand held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 21st. Sangam = Reporter Kim Min-gyu [email protected] /2024.03.21/
Cho Gyu-seong is competing for an aerial ball against the opponent’s defense in the second half of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifier between Korea and Thailand held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 21st. Sangam = Reporter Kim Min-gyu [email protected] /2024.03.21/
Cho Gyu-seong (26, Midtjylland), who was once the undisputed top player on the national soccer team, is facing a major shakeup in his position on the national team. In the latter half of the last Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, he was eventually pushed out as a joker resource, and in the last match against Thailand, which was the first game under Hwang Sun-hong’s tenure as interim coach, he gave up his starting spot to Joo Min-gyu (Ulsan HD).
In fact, Cho Kyu-sung quickly established himself as the undisputed leader in Korean soccer through the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Even after Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany) took over as coach, he always had the upper hand in the competition with Hwang Ui-jo (Alanyaspor) and Oh Hyun-gyu (Celtic) for the starting position. After Coach Klinsmann took office, he received so much trust that he was once selected as a starter for 7 consecutive international matches.
However, the poor performance in the Asian Cup proved to be a fatal blow. As a front-line striker, he continued to perform poorly, with his goal-making ability dropping significantly. He started as a starter in all group stage matches, but after the tournament, he was given the opportunity to start only in the quarterfinals against Australia. He was pushed to the bench in the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia and the semifinal against Jordan. His poor performance continued even after returning to his team. After the Asian Cup, he scored two goals in five league games for his team, both goals scored from penalty kicks. He also missed two other penalty kick opportunities.
This downward trend ultimately had a negative impact on the competition for the starting position under interim coach Hwang Seon-hong. Coach Hwang Seon-hong entrusted Joo Min-gyu with the role of spearhead in the third match of Group C of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round against Thailand held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 21st. This was Joo Min-gyu’s first time in the national team, and Coach Hwang even gave him the opportunity to make his A match debut as a starter. For Cho Kyu-seong, who had been the undisputed leader for a long time, it was inevitable that his pride would be scratched.
To make matters worse, Joo Min-gyu’s performance before his debut wasn’t bad. Joo Min-gyu did not record an attack point, but he created opportunities for second-line strikers such as Son Heung-min with a linkage play that moved widely up to the second line. On this day, Joo Min-gyu completed all 7 passes accurately and received a passing grade in his A-match debut. His presence was such that some fans expressed disappointment over him being substituted 17 minutes into the second half.
Joo Min-gyu is actively rushing when the goalkeeper catches the ball in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia Regional 2nd qualifier between Korea and Thailand held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 21st. Sangam = Reporter Kim Min-gyu [email protected] /2024.03.21/
Joo Min-gyu is making a pass in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifying round between Korea and Thailand held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 21st. Sangam = Reporter Kim Min-gyu [email protected] /2024.03.21/
On this day, Cho Gyu-seong was brought on in the 28th minute of the second half. However, he failed to score a turning goal. He attempted three shots, but none of them went into the goal. In a situation where he desperately needed a goal, he took on the role of a frontline striker, but failed to live up to expectations. A missed opportunity to restore his crumpled self-esteem.
The 4th preliminary round match against Thailand will be held on the 26th at 9:30 PM (Korean time) at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Fans are paying attention to whether Jo Gyu-sung will have another chance to regain his honor. Looking back at the match against Thailand five days ago, there is a greater possibility that Joo Min-gyu will be reappointed. There is a strong tendency for Jo Gyu-seong to become the starting pitcher and Jo Gyu-seong to become the joker.
However, the possibility that Director Hwang Seon-hong may make an unexpected choice cannot be completely ruled out. Above all, Cho Gyu-seong is a player who has worked with the current national team players for a long time. The air superiority ability utilizing his height of 1m89cm may be effective against the relatively short Thai defense. Cho Kyu-sung is clearly an attractive card from his perspective as a commander.
We cannot overlook the fact that coach Hwang Seon-hong has been using rotation quite actively so far. Even during the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, Coach Hwang tended to use as wide a range of players as possible, as long as they were in positions that could be rotated to some extent, rather than core players such as wild cards. If the difference between Joo Min-gyu and Cho Kyu-sung is not overwhelming, Director Hwang may also consider changing the front line.
Of course, if Coach Hwang once again pulls out the card to reappoint Ju Min-gyu, Cho Gyu-sung will experience the pain of being excluded from the starting lineup for three consecutive A matches without injury for the first time since June 2022. At that time, Cho Gyu-seong was excluded from the selection for all four domestic A matches in June. On the contrary, from Joo Min-gyu’s point of view, he can definitely establish himself as a new offensive resource for the national team, beyond being the oldest ever selected to the A national team and making his A match debut. If you add his goal in his A match debut goal in this game, it can really drive a wedge.
Reporter Kim Myeong-seok [email protected]
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