The Thai team stubbornly drew with the South Korean team away, which also added pressure to the Chinese team
In the third round of the 2026 World Preliminary Championship Asian Round of 36 on the evening of March 21, South Korea, the seeded team as the leader of Group C, sat at home and was forced to draw 1-1 by the visiting Thai team. South Korea continues to lead the group standings with an unbeaten record of 2 wins and 1 draw. The Thai team snatched one point from the South Korean team and boosted their morale, which will invisibly add pressure to the Chinese team in the same group.
In the first two rounds of the round of 36, South Korea won Singapore at home and China away to lead the Group C standings. However, in the Asian Cup later, South Korea was eliminated by Jordan in the semi-finals and failed to complete the goal of winning the championship. After the Asian Cup, the Korean Football Association sacked the team's former German coach Jurgen Klinsmann and selected the current South Korean U23 coach Hwang Sunhong as the team's interim coach to lead the team to the two round of 36 matches this month.
On the evening of the 21st, the South Korean team faced Thailand, the opponent of the third round of the round of 36, at home, and this game was also the first official international match led by the new Japanese coach of the Thai team, Masata Ishii. There is a way to change the coach like a knife, and the Thai team has a new look in this game. Although the South Korean team has recruited key players including Son Heung-min and Lee Gang-in to play for the giants of Europe's mainstream leagues, the team as a whole still seems to be in a relatively sluggish state.
Although South Korea broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute through Son Heung-min, in the 60th minute, Thailand used a classic counter-attack to equalize with an empty goal from Supana. The score remained 1-1 until the end, a result that disappointed the 64,000 home fans in attendance, while the entire Thai team rejoiced.
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Yun