Crucial Opener Against Czech Republic Today: "Hoping to Bloom on the Dream Stage"

[Anchor]

The North and Central America World Cup officially kicked off early this morning (June 12). South Korea will also play its first match against the Czech Republic starting at 11:00 AM today.

Lee Jeong-Chan reports from Mexico.

[Reporter]

The expressions of the 'Taeguk Warriors' were solemn as they headed into their final training session ahead of the match against the Czech Republic.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo gave his final instructions to the players for over four minutes just before training, and the players, with their resolve hardened, prepared for the 'fateful first match' with confident expressions.

[Hong Myung-bo/Head Coach of the National Football Team: I don't think our team has been negligent in preparing for this tournament. I believe we have created an atmosphere where we can play with excitement, joy, and energy.]

With Coach Hong stating that his plans for the starting 11 against the Czech Republic are already finalized, captain Son Heung-min, who is set to make his fourth World Cup appearance, expressed his anticipation, saying he wants to show the results of the hard work put in during the more than three-week training camp.

[Son Heung-min/Captain of the National Football Team: I still think of it as a 'dream stage.' Since the players have prepared with such passion, I really want to tell them that I hope 'flowers will bloom' from all that preparation.]

At the same time, he did not hide his caution, noting that the 'tall' Czech squad is filled with high-level 'big leaguers' like Patrik Schick and Tomáš Souček.

[Son Heung-min/Captain of the National Football Team: I believe we need to perform at more than 100 percent of our capacity to win. These are such important matches that we have to put our lives on the line.]

Unlike us, who have spent over three weeks adapting to the environment in Guadalajara, including the high altitude, the Czech team arrived at the battleground only a day before the match and has vowed to unite and overcome us.

[Ivan Hašek/Head Coach of the Czech National Football Team: The conditions were not ideal, but we have prepared extensively for the high altitude. We are not thinking negatively about being at a disadvantage.]

Everything has been prepared as planned.

Now is the time to fully blossom and prove it with results.

(Video report by Hwang In-seok)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.