Hong ball arrives with a whimper as Korea disappoint against Palestine

Hong ball arrived in Seoul with a whimper and a lot of booing on Thursday as Korea fell completely flat in a 0-0 draw with Palestine, kicking off the reign of much-maligned new manager Hong Myung-bo in front of over 59,000 disappointed fans.

Lee Kang-in reacts during a World Cup qualifier between Korea and Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Wednesday. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Hong ball arrived in Seoul with a whimper and a lot of booing on Thursday as Korea fell completely flat in a 0-0 draw with Palestine, kicking off the reign of much-maligned new manager Hong Myung-bo in front of over 59,000 disappointed fans.

It was sloppy from start to finish for Korea, who by the 20th minute had 90 percent possession but fewer shots on target than Palestine. The numbers averaged out as the game went on, but the Taeguk Warriors’ inability to do anything serious in front of goal continued.

It’s another disappointment for a Korean national team that have for years had what on paper appears to be their strongest squad ever, but with none of the results to show for it.

Captain Son Heung-min was largely shut down on the left wing during the first half, and then had a few nightmare moments in the second when he put himself through on goal and either ran the ball straight into the keeper or missed an open chance by hammering it into the post.

Lee Kang-in and Hwang In-beom had a better game, coming the closest to looking like two players that had actually played together before in a largely disjointed Korean squad, but neither was able to do enough to give Korea the edge.

Son Heung-min vies for the ball during a World Cup qualifier between Korea and Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Wednesday. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Hong opted to bench Hwang Hee-chan in the first half, sidelining one of two Premier League players in favor of his former Ulsan man Joo Min-kyu. The gamble did not pay off — Joo proved entirely ineffective in front of goal, mangling the few touches he did get and leaving at half time in favor of the marginally more effective Oh Se-hun.

At the other end of the pitch, Kim Min-jae had a few concerningly sloppy moments and the defense in general continued to lack the cohesiveness that has been starkly absent in recent months. They did just enough to prevent a Palestine goal, but that was more luck than anything else as the Palestine offense ramped up in the dying minutes of the game.

It was a rough start for new manager Hong Myung-bo, who has become the focus of fan anger at the KFA. Thursday's game was never going to be a coronation for the new boss — he faced wall-to-wall boos when announced at the start of the game and every time he appeared on camera after that — but it could have marked a turning point for a Korean squad that has failed to give fans much to cheer about in recent years.

Hong Myung-bo reacts during a World Cup qualifier between Korea and Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Wednesday. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The red devils, the Korean national team supporters club, made their opinion clear from the start, hanging all their banners upside down before the game started and at one point raising a large KFA logo with black ribbons hung over it in the style of a traditional Korean mourning altar.

Thursday's result put world No. 23 Korea in a difficult position. The draw with No. 96 Palestine is a poor start to the third round of AFC World Cup qualifiers, where Korea and Palestine share a group with Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Kuwait.

Of those teams, Kuwait alone ranks below Korea, with the other three teams potentially likely to provide a bigger challenge in the games to come.

Those games start soon. Hong will face his second test on Sept. 10 when Korea take on Oman, with the October international break and games against Jordan and Iraq following only a few weeks later.

Only the top two teams from the group will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]