South Korea conceded a goal with 10 minutes left as Oman stunned Son Heung-min's side to snatch a precious 1-1 away draw in World Cup qualifying on Thursday.
South Korea and Oman hold each other to a draw ⚖️ pic.twitter.com/Vd0t7qUjG7
— 433 (@433) March 20, 2025
The hosts looked set for all three points after Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan put them ahead in the first half with a clinical finish.
But Ali Al Busaidi struck from just outside the box on 80 minutes to stun most of the crowd at Goyang Stadium.
South Korea still lead Asian qualifying Group B and are in a strong position to join Japan, the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, in North America.
South Korea settled for a 1-1 draw against Oman in their Asian World Cup qualifying match, struggling to secure a win amid injuries.
— News Korea (@NewsHanguk) March 20, 2025
Hwang Hee-chan scored for South Korea in the 41st minute, assisted by Lee Kang-in, who had just replaced an injured Paik Seung-ho.
Ali Al-Busaidi… pic.twitter.com/xflJZApEcn
They face Asian Cup finalists Jordan on Tuesday at home.
South Korea took the lead four minutes before the break when Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in picked out Hwang with a superb threaded through ball.
Hwang took one touch with his right foot to set himself up and with his left foot rifled the ball past goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini into the bottom opposite corner.
It's a tie!#Oman #football team tied with its #SouthKorean counterpart, 1-1, in the seventh round of the third stage of the final #qualifiers for the #2026WorldCup held in #Seoul. pic.twitter.com/La43GLx9hy
— Muscat Daily (@muscat_daily) March 20, 2025
Skipper and talisman Son, who has struggled for form and fitness this season with an underwhelming Tottenham side, tried his luck from distance in first-half injury time.
The 32-year-old threatened again shortly after the break as Hong Myung-bo's team went in search of a second goal.
Oman rarely threatened until up popped Busaidi with a left-footed strike that wrong-footed goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo.
South Korea have 15 points, with Iraq second in the group on 11 but having played a game less.
Jordan are third on nine with Oman fourth on seven points, with three games left to play.
The top two are guaranteed to qualify, with teams finishing third and fourth going into a further qualifying round.