South Korea men’s national soccer team midfielder Lee Kang-in was humbled by Jürgen Klinsmann’s praise.

Jürgen Klinsmann’s men’s national soccer team won 5-0 at home against Singapore on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium in their first Group C match of the 2026 North American Football Confederation (NAFTA) World Cup Second Qualifying Round. It was the fourth straight win in A matches, following victories over Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Vietnam.

South Korea, which will begin its first gateway to the 2026 North American Championship, will open Asia’s second qualifying round in Group C against Singapore at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday and away to China on Sunday. The Koreans are also drawn with Thailand, who they will play home and away to determine who finishes second in the group.

It wasn’t until the 44th minute that South Korea broke through. Lee Kang-in’s left-footed diagonal cross from the right side was met by Cho Kyu-sung, who beat the offside line and slotted home a no-mark left-footed shot in front of the keeper to make it 1-0.

Four minutes into the second half, Cho Kyu-sung crossed the ball from the right side after Lee Kang-in’s dribbling breakthrough on the right, and Hwang Hee-chan raced in at the far post to slot home a low header to make it 2-0.

Captain Son Heung-min also struck. In the 18th minute of the second half, Son scored the third goal with an exquisite left-footed curler from the center of the box just outside the box.

In the 21st minute, when Seol Young-woo received a pass on the right side of the box, naturalized player Song Eui-young tripped him from behind and a penalty kick was awarded. Hwang Eui-jo stepped up to take the spot kick and slotted it to the left with his right foot. South Korea added a goal from Lee Kang-in in the 40th minute to make it 5-0.

“Of course I’m happy when I score an attacking point, but it’s more important for the team to win,” he said of his third consecutive A-match goal. “If I have a chance to be part of the Asian Cup, I have to give my maximum effort to win the team.”

In his post-match press conference, Klinsmann praised his own growth, saying, “I don’t feel like I’m improving, I’m just trying to be a better player in every 안전놀이터 training session and every game. I’m going to prepare more with my teammates and show good results in the future.”