Joo Min-gyu “I always wanted to come to the national team “I will work hard”
Following his debut goal against Singapore, he indirectly contributed to the winning goal against China.
South Korean national soccer team striker Joo Min-gyu (Ulsan HD) expressed his determination to wear the Taegeuk symbol in September as well.
The national soccer team led by interim coach Kim Do-hoon scored the winning goal by Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) in the 16th minute of the second half in the 6th match of Group C of the '2026 FIFA North, Central America and America World Cup' Asian 2nd qualifying round against China held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th. Thanks to this, we won 1-0.
Korea, which finished the second preliminary round undefeated with five wins, one draw (15 points), not only advanced to the final preliminary round at first place in the group, but also confirmed the top seed.
Joo Min-gyu, who ranked 2nd in 'Oldest debut goal in A-match' and 8th in 'Oldest scorer in A-match (age 34 years, 54 days)' in the match against Singapore on the 6th, was substituted in the 16th minute of the second half and played until the end, but he did not score in 2 A-match games. He was unable to record consecutive goals.
Although he did not have a direct attack point, he indirectly contributed to the score by dragging out the opposing defense and creating space during Lee Kang-in's winning goal, which was scored immediately after entering the game.
Joo Min-gyu said in the mixed zone after the game, “I feel better than last time (the March A match with 1 win and 1 draw) as I finished with 2 wins in 2 games. He also scored his debut goal (in his first game against Singapore), so I felt that this time was not in vain and I think I had fun doing well,” he said.
He continued, “(I wasn’t a starter, but I went in as a substitute against China) with the thought that I would help the team. “Director Kim Do-hoon told us to hold on and shoot from above, and as we created those scenes, I think (Lee) Kang-in got a chance,” he added, adding his evaluation of the game against China. He also revealed that he felt a lot through his second A match since last March. He said, “(Playing against Asian players) I realized once again that the level of the K-League was very high. “I also felt that my teammates were one step above my opponents because the representative players were gathered together,” he said. “Because there are so many world-class players, I was confident that if I just played a little better, I would score a lot of goals.” He continued, “Now he has to go back to his team and do well, but I think he can make it to the national team again. “This is not the end, I will gain confidence from this and prepare well to score more goals for my team.” Although he belatedly wore the Taegeuk symbol last March, he is showing off his presence every time he is called up, so he can expect to be selected for the national team in September. Joo Min-gyu said, “I think that (selection in September) is the intention of the new coach,” but added, “I always have a desire to come to the national team. “I think he will have to work hard,” he said. He also expressed his gratitude to the fans who shouted his name loudly in the stadium. When he was first selected for the national team last March, the fans of his team, Ulsan, cheered for Joo Min-gyu with the motto, 'Late blooming flowers are more beautiful', and this time, the national team fans shouted his name loudly. Joo Min-gyu expressed his gratitude, saying, “I thought, ‘I am being rewarded for my efforts,’ and I felt grateful that I should work harder.”
스포츠토토맨; https://www.sportstotomen.com
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