[Anchor]
With two days left until the decisive third match against South Africa, our national team has been refining its set-piece tactics behind closed doors. The players are sharpening their focus with a firm determination to secure a victory.
Lee Jeong-Chan reports from Monterrey.
[Reporter]
Under tight security, the national team bus arrives at the training ground.
The venue where our players are conducting their final preparations today, June 23, and tomorrow is the home stadium of the prestigious Mexican club Tigres. The pitch conditions are similar to those of the Monterrey stadium,
[It is hot and humid.]
[It is perfect weather for a win.]
The travel time from the team hotel is also nearly identical.
Since the national team usually focuses on conditioning the day before a match, the closed-door tactical training taking place here is effectively where the success or failure of the South Africa match will be determined.
The team has been pouring its efforts into refining set-piece tactics under "ironclad security."
As South Africa's key defenders are relatively short, the plan is to actively leverage an aerial advantage, centered around Cho Gue-sung and Lee Han-beom, who play together for FC Midtjylland in Denmark.
Cho Gue-sung has fond memories of scoring a multi-goal header against Ghana from Africa at the Qatar tournament four years ago, and although he did not score in the recent match against Mexico, his sharp headers kept the opponent on edge.
Lee Han-beom, a tall defender standing 189cm, led Midtjylland to victory in the Danish Cup this season by recording attacking points with his head in three consecutive matches.
[Lee Han-beom/National Football Team Defender: I heard they are short in stature, so we are preparing well for set-pieces and cross situations. I have also talked a lot with Gue-sung about how to handle this since before we came to the World Cup.]
A draw would be enough to secure second place in the group, but a loss could potentially drop us to fourth and lead to elimination. Therefore, the team is determined not to be complacent and to secure a victory to head to Los Angeles, where the Round of 32 will be held, in high spirits.
[Lee Han-beom/National Football Team Defender: There is absolutely no thought of playing for a draw. We are preparing with the mindset that we must win, so I want to emphasize that we are not being complacent at all.]
Reported by Hwang In-seok | Video by Oh Young-taek | Graphics by Seo Seung-hyun and Jang Chae-woo
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