South Korea manager Hong Myung-bo said his side delivered their worst performance of World Cup qualifying after being held 1-1 by Oman in Goyang, settling for a second consecutive draw following November's 1-1 stalemate with Palestine in Amman.
Hwang Hee-chan had given the home side the lead in the 41st minute but an 80th-minute strike by Ali Al-Busaidi levelled for the Omanis against a Korean outfit that saw Paris St-Germain's Lee Kang-in leave the field with an ankle injury.
"This was our worst performance so far in this ongoing qualification round," Hong told reporters after the game.
"Of course, we had some difficulties from early on because we had some new lineup combinations... We conceded too easily, making it feel like we were never truly in control despite leading."
Hong explained it was never his plan to bring in midfielder Lee, who had just one day of training, adding that he would not have played if not for Paik Seung-ho’s injury in the 38th minute.
Injury concerns shadowed Korea even before the game, with Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae withdrawn from the squad due to Achilles tendinitis and Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom rested as a precaution after his month-long injury absence.
Captain Son Heung-min did not want to dwell on the result after failing to get on the score sheet.
"I feel like I let my teammates down today but this is not the only match we're going to play together," Son said. "We have been able to create some positive situations to come this far. We should try to learn from this match and take the next step."
South Korea remain top of Group B with 15 points, three ahead of Jordan, who moved into second with a 3-1 win over Palestine in Amman. The Koreans will play Jordan in Suwon on Tuesday.
&uuid=(email))