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

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 qualificationMidfielder 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 n ext 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. Source: Yonhap News Agency