Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the men’s national football team.

Korea’s national football team promised a different game than the previous match against Oman.

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the men’s national football team, promised to beat Jordan to console Korea suffering from wildfires.

“I expect our players to be better in all aspects than in the first match. Their physical condition has improved,” Hong said, adding, ”I hope the wildfires will be extinguished as soon as possible. We will try to deliver a win to give the country strength.”

Korea will face Jordan in the eighth Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at 8 p.m. on March 25 at Suwon World Cup Stadium. After a 1-1 draw with Oman on the 20th, Korea still leads Group B with four wins and three draws (15 points), but the upcoming match is daunting as it is only three points ahead of second-placed Jordan (12 points).

In terms of objective strength, Korea, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, is ahead of Jordan, ranked 64th, but it has not gained the upper hand in recent confrontations.

Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo (center) speaks to football players during training at Suwon World Cup Stadium on March 24. Yonhap News

The pain of losing 0-2 to Jordan in the Asian Cup quarterfinals in Qatar last February is still vivid. Korea won a 2-0 victory in the third qualifier against Jordan last October, but there is a tension that Korea cannot let their guard down.

Lee Jae-sung of Mainz 05, who scored in the previous game against Jordan, said, “We all feel a sense of responsibility for the previous match against Oman. We are still in first place. We can beat Jordan tomorrow.”

Head coach Hong said the national team have fully prepared for the upcoming match. First, he signaled a change in the countermeasures against dense defense, where Korea exposed its limits in the match against Oman.

Hong said, “There are definitely ways to break through dense defense, and I’ve shared that with the players. We will play smart no matter how the opponent comes out.” A player that the head coach is counting on is midfielder Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord, who has recovered from a calf injury.

Hwang recorded 24.1 successful passes in attack areas per 90 minutes among players who have played more than four games in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification. He came second overall after Saudi Arabia’s Musab Fahd Aljuwayr (26.3 passes). If Hwang can show his unique offensive ball distribution, a different result could be expected in the match against Jordan.

“Hwang’s physical condition is a little better than we thought,” Hong said, ”He‘s better than what we communicated with his team, and he has a strong will. It’s hard to say if he will be at 100 percent tomorrow, but we will prepare through training.”

Hong also did not forget to refine Korea’s defensive organization, which exposed gaps in the match against Oman. While focusing on the weak second line pressure, he has also prepared a hidden card to tie up Jordanian ace Musa Al-Taamari of Stade Rennais. Al-Taamari was the player who scored a goal and an assist against Korea in the Asian Cup quarterfinals.

“I shared with the Korean players how Al-Taamari moved in the Asian Cup,” Hong said. “How we mark him will be the key to win the upcoming match,” said Hong. Lee Jae-sung said, “Not a player, but the whole team should play well. All the Korean players are focused on winning.”