South Korea have maintained their unbeaten run at the start of the Asian qualifiers ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup tournament. The South Koreans are presently at the third stage of the Asian qualifiers alongside several teams on their continent and they are unbeaten in four games.
South Korea have been drawn in Group A alongside the likes of Iran, Lebanon, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Syria and Iraq. In their latest game in the group, South Korea played out a 1-1 draw at the home of Iran. After a goalless first half during the game played on Tuesday, Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-Min gave the visitors the lead three minutes after restart and they were heading to an important win until former Brighton and Hove Albion forward AlirezaJahanbakhshscored the equaliser for Iran with fourteen (14) minutes remaining on the clock.
A win over Iran would have taken South Korea to the top of the Group A standings at the expense of their opponents. As things stand, Iran lead the group with ten points from four games, while the South Koreans are two points further back in second place. The top two teams in the two groups at the third round stage will secure their place at the World Cup tournament next year automatically while the two teams in third will battle it out to determine the team that will attempt to qualify for the World Cup tournament via the inter-confederation playoffs.
South Korea began their Asian qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament at the second round stage and they were paired with rivals North Korea in the same group. North Korea, South Korea, Lebanon, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka were all drawn in Group H. North Korea didn’t complete their games in the group as they withdrew from the qualifiers.