Seoul: The men's national football team of South Korea wrapped up the year with a narrow 1-0 victory over Ghana at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, mirroring the team's underwhelming start in March. Defender Lee Tae-seok scored the only goal with a header in the 63rd minute, as South Korea found it challenging to create scoring opportunities against their underdog opponent.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's Hwang Hee-chan, who came on as a second-half substitute, failed to convert a penalty he won in the 74th minute with a lackluster kick that was easily saved by Ghana's goalkeeper, Benjamin Asare. Earlier in the year, South Korea, ranked 23rd at the time, managed only a 1-1 draw against 80th-ranked Oman in a World Cup qualifying match, which head coach Hong Myung-bo described as the team's worst performance in that round.

Currently ranked 22nd in the world, South Korea has secured a place in the upcoming World Cup. However, the team's performance since the draw with Oman has not shown significant improvement, which is concerning for Hong and his coaching staff. Although Ghana, ranked 73rd, applied minimal pressure initially, South Korea's passes were often ineffective, and starting forward Oh Hyeon-gyu barely saw the ball.

With key players Hwang In-beom and Paik Seung-ho absent due to injuries, new players in the midfield failed to make an impact. Hong experimented with different midfield combinations, using Jens Castrop and Kwon Hyeok-kyu in the first half, and Seo Min-woo and Kim Jin-gyu in the second half, but none managed to effectively control the game, leading to turnovers that could have cost South Korea the match.

South Korea's first shot on target came only in the 41st minute when Kwon Hyeok-kyu headed a corner from Son Heung-min, testing Asare for the first time. Lee Tae-seok's goal came from a diagonal pass by Lee Kang-in, showcasing Lee Kang-in's skill, but it was one of the few highlights in an otherwise disappointing match against a weakened Ghana side.

Ghana fielded a team with limited options on the bench due to injuries, with key players Antoine Semenyo, Abu Francis, and Mohammed Salisu unavailable. Despite these challenges, South Korea struggled to assert dominance, even against a lineup featuring inexperienced players like 19-year-old Caleb Yirenkyi.

South Korea has now won three consecutive home matches, previously defeating Paraguay and Bolivia by 2-0 each. However, these results have not impressed fans, as reflected in the attendance figures. The match against Ghana attracted 33,256 spectators, marking the second consecutive game with fewer than 35,000 attendees at the 66,000-seat stadium, following a turnout of 22,206 for the Paraguay match.