Thailand vs Korea Republic
While Thailand only got a point from their first second round matchup against South Korea in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, it was considered one of the most shocking World Cup 2026 results so far in Asia because they were expected to lose on Thursday in Seoul.
The pre-game World Cup 2026 odds from the previous game had the Taeguk Warriors as the huge favourites against the War Elephants. However, it didn’t fully account for what’s going on behind the scenes in the South Korean dressing room.
Now that South Korea’s confidence got even lower following the 1-1 result last time out, Masatada Ishii’s men will look to pounce on the opportunity to secure another positive result on Tuesday when they host Hwang Sun-Hong’s men anew at the Rajamangala Stadium.
Talking Points
Morale is low for South Korea
Hwang Sun-Hong already has a lot on his plate after being appointed caretaker manager for South Korea, as he will have to manage a group of players who are not exactly in high spirits while ensuring their qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Before the Thursday game, it was revealed that Lee Kang-In and Heung-Min Son were involved in a bust-up that dislocated the latter’s finger while the AFC Asian Cup was going on. Eventually, South Korea fell to Jordan in the semi-finals.
Lee Kang-In was noticeably on the bench against Thailand, although he did come on during the 62nd minute for South Korea.
The reverse fixture against Thailand was the first game for South Korea after Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked after one year in charge, and they blew their chance to start with a clean slate as they squandered a 1-0 lead created by Heung-Min Son.
After the Tottenham captain scored before halftime, South Korea had several chances to score more, but they fluffed their lines.
To illustrate how the Taeguk Warriors were wasteful against the War Elephants, the former had 25 total shots, with eight of them on target, and controlled 79-per cent possession. In contrast, Thailand only had six total shots, with two of them on target, and only had 21-per cent possession.
Despite this, South Korea remain in pole position in Group C with seven points because they have yet to taste defeat, although their fans would want a better performance on Tuesday.
Thailand have a budding star in Mueanta
Suphanat Mueanta was the reason why South Korea couldn’t get it done on Thursday, as he scored the equaliser for Thailand during the 61st minute of the match.
The War Elephants pushed the ball in transition, and when Nicholas Mickelson fired the ball from the right flank, Mueanta was there to tap the ball in past Jo Hyeon-Woo.
Still only 21, Suphanat Mueanta is far from a finished article, but the potential is there for him to be the next big thing for Thailand. This season, he is playing for OH Leuven in the Belgian Pro League.
History
Thailand and South Korea will meet for the 74th time ever on Tuesday. The overall head-to-heads between these two proud nations are lopsided towards South Korea because they have won 47 times compared to 12 times for Thailand and 14 draws.
Prior to the 1-1 draw on Thursday, South Korea held a two-game winning streak over Thailand, with the most recent victory being a 1-0 result in an exhibition match back in March 2016.
The War Elephants’ last win over the Taeguk Warriors dates back to December 1998, when they secured a 2-1 result to advance to the semi-finals of the Asian Games. Thailand went on to finish as the fourth-best team of the tournament after losing to Kuwait and China since eliminating South Korea.
Thailand have never qualified for the World Cup, so they are more than eager to finally do so this time around. So far, they are on track because they are second in Group C with four points. They should thank Singapore for holding China to a 2-2 stalemate on Thursday since Thailand have a superior goal difference over China.
Should they stay within the top two after the conclusion of the second round, Thailand will qualify for the third round (presumably alongside South Korea). And if they are in the top two once again in the third round, the War Elephants will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup. South Korea, meanwhile, have been to the World Cup 11 times. During the 2022 World Cup, the Taeguk Warriors were one of the darlings of the tournament after they made it as far as the Round of 16.
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