Following Germany, both Japan and Australia have ultimately failed to help South Korea.
The chances of the South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, advancing to the Round of 32 in the North and Central America World Cup are becoming increasingly slim.
Japan drew 1-1 with Sweden in their final Group F match of the North and Central America World Cup, held today at Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA.
Japan secured their spot in the Round of 32 as the group runner-up, following the Netherlands.
Sweden finished third in Group F with one win, one draw, and one loss. With 4 points, they have surpassed South Korea in the competition among third-placed teams for a spot in the Round of 32.
In this tournament, the top 8 teams among the 12 third-placed teams in each group are granted a ticket to the Round of 32.
The top 8 teams are determined by comparing points, goal difference, and other criteria.
South Korea, which finished the group stage in third place in Group A with a dismal record of one win and two losses (3 points), was in a position where they had to hope for a Japanese victory today.
If Japan had defeated Sweden by a margin of two or more goals, South Korea could have overtaken Sweden in the race among third-placed teams.
Regrettably, the two teams ended in a draw.
In Group E, which took place earlier, Germany was upset by Ecuador, losing 1-2.
Ecuador caused an upset by defeating the powerhouse Germany, earning points and also surpassing South Korea in the race for the third-place wild card.
In Group D, South Korea needed Australia to win or Paraguay to win by a margin of two or more goals to gain an advantage.
However, unfortunately, the two teams drew 0-0, and both Australia and Paraguay advanced to the Round of 32 together.
For South Korea to comfortably advance to the Round of 32, they needed their Asian neighbors like Japan and Australia to hold their ground, and football powerhouses like Germany to defeat lower-ranked teams, but so far, no one has been able to help South Korea.
South Korea needs to have a better record than at least three of the remaining third-placed teams from the other six groups, but the possibility is not very high.
As of June 26, with six groups having completed their group stages, the only third-placed team with a lower score than South Korea is Scotland from Group C.
The assessment is that the hope for a turnaround is gradually fading away.
Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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