Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings on the afternoon of Sept. 7 celebrates after scoring the only goal in a World Cup qualifier against Lebanon in the final Asian qualifying round at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province. (Yonhap News)
The national soccer team defeated Lebanon for its first victory in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Ranked 36th in the world, the Taegeuk Warriors on Sept. 7 won 1-0 in their second Group A game at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province. Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings scored the lone goal in the 60th minute.
Despite the absence of star striker and team captain Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur due to injury, the team earned a precious three points.
On Sept. 2, Korea and No. 70 Iraq in Seoul played to a scoreless draw in their first group match to each earn a point. With the win over Lebanon, Korea has four.
Korea is second in Group A to Iran, which has six points after wins over Syria and Iraq. The United Arab Emirates is third with two.
The final round of the Asian qualifiers includes 12 teams divided into two six-nation groups. The top two finishers from each group will advance to the World Cup next year.
Korea's next games are against No. 80 Syria at home on Oct. 7 and No. 26 Iran in Tehran on Oct. 12.
lvzhen@korea.kr