By winning their most recent match in the current FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, South Korea has secured an automatic spot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

South Korea defeated Syria 2-0 in Group A play in Dubai on Tuesday (local time), advancing to the World Cup finals in Russia. Kim Jin-Su and Kwon Chang-hoon both scored a goal to secure the victory. The match was played in Rashid Stadium in Dubai, which served as a neutral venue because Syria was unable to hold matches due to the ongoing conflict.

South Korea's victory ensured them at the very least the second seed and, as a result, one of the two automatic slots out of Group A. In the final round, there are two groups of six teams each, and the top two nations from each group will automatically qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, while the two third-place teams will participate in a decisive playoff to determine the winner.

When Iran defeated Iraq 1-0 on Thursday, they were the first side out of Group A to secure a place in the World Cup. The South Koreans also joined them with two matches left on the schedule.

In November, South Korea will make their tenth straight participation in the World Cup, and their eleventh overall appearance. They have participated in every tournament held in Mexico since 1986.

Syria had threatened to grab the lead a couple of times, but the teams went into halftime with no goals between them.

The defeat for South Korea came in the 10th minute, when Omar Khribin's header, which was set up by Mahmoud Al-free Mawas's kick, was ruled out for offside due to an offside call. The initial call was upheld after a video review of the game was conducted.

Kim Jin-Su, a South Korean left defender, took a shot from a difficult angle that hit the left side of the net four minutes later.

In the 24th minute, Kim came dangerously close to being on the receiving end of a Syrian scoring move. Despite his best efforts, Al-Mawas intercepted his pass back to goalie Kim Seung-Gyu, who rolled the ball just left of the goal.

Towards the end of the first half, South Korea's Cho Gue-sung attempted a diving header that sailed wide of the mark. During the first 45 minutes of the game, South Korea did not have a shot on target.

Kim Jin-Su, who had gone from being seen as a near hero to being regarded as a near pariah, finally had his chance to shine in the 53rd minute. He leaped to meet Kim Tae-hwan from the right-wing and headed home the game's first goal to give the visitors the lead. Kim's second international goal came at Rashid Stadium at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in January 2019, and it was his first at the same venue the previous year.

As the game entered the 70th minute, Syria squandered a golden opportunity to tie the score when Kamel Hmeisheh chose instead to cross to the center of the field after having a clear sight of the goal along the right side of the box.

And South Korea made them pay in the very next minute, when Kwon Chang-hoon, who had been brought in from the bench to open the second half, scored a fantastic solo goal to double the advantage in the 88th minute. Kwon cut to the middle of the field and struck a left-footed shot into the short side of the net after grabbing the ball on the right side. He has now scored three goals in his last four games, all of which have taken place inside a 16-day period.