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World Cup: South Korea coach takes blame for shock loss and benching Son Heung-min

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • South Korea suffered a surprising 1-0 loss to South Africa in their final World Cup group stage match, jeopardizing their chances of advancing.
  • Coach Hong Myung-bo took responsibility for the defeat and his controversial decision to bench star player Son Heung-min for the first half.
  • The loss means South Korea finished third in Group A and must now rely on other results to potentially qualify for the knockout stage.

South Korean coach Hong Myung-bo has accepted full responsibility for his team's shocking 1-0 defeat to South Africa, a result that leaves the Taeguk Warriors facing potential elimination from the World Cup. The loss was compounded by a controversial tactical decision to start star player Son Heung-min on the bench for the crucial group stage finale.

"The game content was not ideal, there is no special reason, this is clearly the worst performance in the three World Cup matches," Hong stated after the match. He added, "The result says everything, there is no doubt about it. Although many excuses can be found for the failure, it is all the responsibility of the head coach. These were my judgments and decisions, and all mistakes are my responsibility."

The game content was not ideal, there is no special reason, this is clearly the worst performance in the three World Cup matches. The result says everything, there is no doubt about it. Although many excuses can be found for the failure, it is all the responsibility of the head coach. These were my judgments and decisions, and all mistakes are my responsibility.

— Hong Myung-boSouth Korean coach Hong Myung-bo accepting responsibility for the team's loss and his tactical decisions.

The decision to bench Son, who was brought on in the second half, has drawn significant scrutiny. Hong explained his reasoning, stating, "My judgment was that rather than letting him on the field in the first half when the opponent still had energy, it would be better to send him on after the first 45 minutes, when the space was opened up."

However, the tactical gamble did not pay off. South Africa scored the winning goal in the second half, leaving South Korea in third place in Group A. With Mexico having already secured their advancement, South Korea now faces an anxious wait to see if they can qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

My judgment was that rather than letting him on the field in the first half when the opponent still had energy, it would be better to send him on after the first 45 minutes, when the space was opened up.

— Hong Myung-boSouth Korean coach Hong Myung-bo explaining his decision to start Son Heung-min on the bench.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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