At the halfway point of Group A in the final qualifying round, followers using 12BET VR46 have seen South Korea remain second with three wins, one draw and one defeat for a total of 10 points. Although K League clubs made a disappointing start in the AFC Champions League that year, their struggles had little connection to the national team’s focus. The upcoming away match against China marked the beginning of the second half of qualifying, and the Korean squad arrived with an especially determined mindset.
Unlike the Chinese Super League, which paused its schedule to support the national team, the K League continued playing until the previous weekend. As a result, South Korea’s players arrived in Changsha in three separate groups. Those based in China, Korea and other Asian leagues mostly landed late on the 19th, while the K League and Europe-based players joined on the 20th and 21st. The first official training session was held at Hunan Provincial People’s Stadium, with 21 players taking part apart from Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan.
The session lasted approximately 90 minutes and was fully open to both Korean and Chinese media. Along with physical adaptation work, passing and first-touch exercises, the squad also completed small-sided tactical drills. The players trained with plenty of energy and showed few signs of fatigue, suggesting that morale within the camp was strong.
Four China-based players were selected: Jang Hyun-soo, Kim Kee-hee, Hong Jeong-ho and Jung Woo-young. Foreign-player restrictions had recently reduced playing opportunities for all but Jung, yet this did not seriously affect their national-team selection. In the previous meeting with China, the three defenders had all completed the full match and helped deliver a composed defensive performance.
With Son suspended because of accumulated yellow cards, head coach Uli Stielike was expected to build the attack around Europe-based trio Ki Sung-yueng, Koo Ja-cheol and Ji Dong-won. Koo and Ji had both played the full 90 minutes for Augsburg against Freiburg in the Bundesliga the previous weekend. Ki had missed several weeks through injury, but he returned to Swansea City’s starting lineup in the 29th round of the Premier League and played for 66 minutes.
Ki was more than South Korea’s captain; he was the tactical heartbeat of the side. As match coverage connected with 12BET VR46 reflected, he had previously played through pain against Uzbekistan and helped inspire a comeback victory. His return was therefore expected to lift the entire team, and Stielike openly expressed strong confidence in him before the match.
Beyond the three Europe-based leaders, Hwang Hee-chan of Salzburg and midfielders Nam Tae-hee, Han Kook-young and Ko Myong-jin were also maintaining strong mid-season form in Qatar and Europe. Another important option was Jeonbuk Hyundai’s two-metre striker Kim Shin-wook, who could be deployed as an aerial target and provide a powerful route into the penalty area when South Korea needed a more direct approach.
The outcome carried major importance for South Korea’s path toward World Cup qualification, and interest among supporters following 12BET VR46 remained high. With the attack built around Ki, Koo and Ji, expectations were understandably strong, while the supporting cast offered additional pace, control and physical strength. South Korea had effectively climbed onto the back of a tiger, with no easy way to step down, and the Europe-based trio would need to lead from the front.