# ‘Lee Kang-in’s winning goal’ Korea wins 1-0 over China 1st pot confirmed with Japan and Iran in 3rd preliminary round

Lee Kang-in is hugged by captain Son Heung-min after scoring the opening goal in the second half of the match between South Korea and China in the 6th match of Group C of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round group stage held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 11th.

Thanks to Lee Kang-in's winning goal, the Korean national soccer team defeated China, finished the second preliminary round undefeated, and at the same time secured pot number one in the third preliminary round. [스포츠 토토사이트](https://www.outlookindia.com/plugin-play/2023년-11월-메이저-토토사이트-순위-추천-토토-안전놀이터-top15-news-332207
)

Korea, led by interim coach Kim Do-hoon, won 1-0 in the 6th match of Group C of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifying round against China held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th[.](https://network-1062788.mn.co/posts/58806499)

Korea, which had already confirmed first place in the group, finished the second preliminary round with 5 wins, 1 draw (16 points) and undefeated. In addition, Korea maintained 3rd place in the FIFA rankings among Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member countries and secured Pot 1 to avoid Iran and Japan in the 3rd round of the World Cup qualifiers to be held in September[.](https://network-1062788.mn.co/posts/58800421)

In addition, they maintained an overwhelming advantage in their previous record against China with 23 wins, 13 draws and 2 losses, and recorded 5 consecutive wins against China without conceding a goal since the 2019 AFC Asian Cup group stage match.

On the other hand, China only had 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses (8 points), and was in danger of being thwarted from advancing to the third round of the preliminary round if Thailand won by 3 goals in the match between Thailand and Singapore, which is currently in the first half.

On this day, compared to the 5th game against Singapore, where Korea won 7-0, only one change was made to Hwang Hee-chan in attack and Seung-wook Park in defense, and instead used elite members such as Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Hwang In-beom[.](https://network-1062788.mn.co/posts/58801385)

With the support of their home fans, Korea took control of the game from the beginning and took an aggressive stance. However, it was not easy for China, which needed at least a draw to confirm advancement to the third preliminary round, to lower its line early and play defensively to create space. Korea gradually knocked on China, led by aces Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. In the 12th minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min set the tone by beating three defenders each with individual dribbles, and in the 20th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min moved from the left side to the center and shot, but was blocked by the goalkeeper. Son Heung-min fired a series of exquisite free kicks from the front of the arc area in the 22nd and 25th minutes of the first half, but both hit the defensive wall and narrowly missed the goal. China lowered its line and focused only on defense and did not face a major crisis, but Korea's attack also failed to find a clear solution[.](https://network-1062788.mn.co/posts/58802908) China also showed players wasting time during foul scenes. In the end, Korea was unable to open the goal in the first half as even Jung Woo-young's mid-range shot went over the crossbar in extra time. The trend of Korea pushing ahead and China holding on continued in the second half. In the 2nd minute of the second half, Hwang In-beom took a decisive opportunity inside the penalty box and shot, but was blocked by the defensive tackle. Afterwards, the atmosphere of the game became heated, with both teams exchanging rough tackles and engaging in group fights twice. [일본야동](https://www.19guide03.com
)