(LEAD) S. Korea defeat Iraq for 3rd straight win in World Cup qualification

(ATTN: ADDS details from para 10, photos)
By Yoo Jee-ho

YONGIN, South Korea, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea beat Iraq 3-2 at home Tuesday for their third straight win in their World Cup qualifying campaign.

Striker Oh Se-hun scored his first international goal at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, and his replacement in the second half, Oh Hyeon-gyu, scored for the second straight Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification.

Midfielder Lee Jae-sung netted the team's third goal, also finding the back of the net in back-to-back matches.

South Korea improved to 10 points to remain atop Group B, now three clear of Iraq. After being held to a goalless draw by Palestine to begin the third round, South Korea have now taken down Oman, Jordan and Iraq in succession.

Iraq had not conceded any goal in their previous three matches before South Korea's trifecta.

For Iraq, Aymen Hussein scored a bicycle kick in the 50th minute and Ibrahim Bayesh scored during second-half stoppage time before falling one goal short.

South Korea will hit the road for their next two Group B matches: against Kuwait on Nov. 14 and Palestine on Nov. 19.

There are three groups of six in the third round, and the top two nations from each group will punch their tickets to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986.

Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho earned his first international start on the left wing, after excelling in that position as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 win over Jordan last Thursday.

Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Hwang Hee-chan had started that match but was subbed out midway through the first half due to an ankle injury. His replacement, Eom Ji-sung of Swansea City, suffered a knee injury early in the second half, prompting Bae's entry into the match.

In another change from Thursday's starting lineup, Oh Se-hun got the nod in the striker position ahead of Joo Min-kyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu, who scored South Korea's second goal in the Jordan match.

And Bae and Oh Se-hun connected for South Korea's first goal in the 41st minute.

Right back Seol Young-woo dashed into the box off a long ball and sent a cross to left that found Bae, who pushed the ball to Oh standing in the goalmouth. With multiple bodies around him, Oh found just enough space to poke the ball home with his left foot for his first international goal.

The goal came after a quiet stretch during which South Korea failed to generate dangerous chances despite spending the majority of their time in the opposing zone.

Iraq drew level five minutes after the restart, thanks to Hussein's bicycle kick goal set up by Amjad Attwan's cross from the right side.

South Korea broke the deadlock in the 74th minute, thanks to some relentless work on the left side by midfielders Moon Seon-min and Lee Jae-sung.

Moon drove the ball deep into the attacking zone, and after he lost control of the ball, Lee saved the ball from going out of bounds and fed it to Oh Hyeon-gyu, who scored off his left foot for a 2-1 South Korean lead.

South Korea extended their advantage to 3-1 nine minutes later, when Lee Myung-jae's cross found Lee Jae-sung for a diving header.

Bayesh's late goal made things a bit more interesting, but South Korea hung on for the one-goal victory.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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