In the opening match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, both South Korea and China won, against Singapore and Thailand respectively. Therefore, the match between the two teams on the evening of November 21 is considered a competition to win the top spot in Group C.

Despite having home advantage, the Chinese team still had to retreat deep to defend against the pressure created by Korea right from the referee blowing the whistle to start the match. In the 9th minute, confusion in defense caused Chinese defender Zhu Chenjie to foul striker Hwang Hee Chan in the penalty area and the referee immediately awarded Korea a penalty.

On the 11m mark, striker Son Heung Min made no mistake, opening the score for the home team. This was also the 40th goal of the Tottenham star for the Korean national team. He became the second player after Hwang Seon Hong in 27 years to reach this milestone.

The early opening goal gave the Korean team more confidence and put a lot of pressure on the home team's defense. In the 15th minute, from a corner kick by Lee Kang In, striker Cho Gue Sung headed the ball but it went just over the crossbar.

In the 23rd minute, Son Heung Min quickly coordinated with Hwang In Beom to open up an opportunity to help Korea double the gap, but the 31-year-old striker's left-footed shot could not beat the Chinese goalkeeper.

However, before the end of the first half, the Korean team still scored a second goal. The scorer for the Kim Chi team was none other than Son Heung Min. In the 45th minute, from a corner kick by Lee Kang In, captain Son Heung Min ran into the position and headed the ball back in a tricky way, causing goalkeeper Yan Junling to only be able to pick the ball out of the net.

South Korea went into halftime leading 2-0 against China.

In the second half, the Chinese team was forced to raise their formation to find a goal to reduce the score. However, the Korean team still actively controlled the ball and played tight defense before performing their forte of quick counterattacks.

China's efforts after more than 30 minutes of the second half did not bring results and they paid the price. In the 85th minute, Son Heung Min had a free kick that was favorable for Jung Seong Hyun to jump high and head the ball to score, sealing a 3-0 victory for Korea.

This victory helped South Korea take the top spot in Group C, while China dropped to third place when in the same match, Thailand defeated Singapore 3-1 to take second place in the group.