A Heartbreaking 'Single' Mistake… Gritting Teeth and Holding On

[Anchor]

Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu made several crucial saves, but a single fatal mistake placed him at the center of the defeat. While ruminating on his regret, Kim vowed to soar in the next match.

Here is the report from Lee Jeong-Chan on the scene.

[Reporter]

Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, who secured a thrilling comeback victory with a series of saves against the Czech Republic, threw his body on the line once again against Mexico.

In the 20th minute of the first half, he blocked a header from Quiñones, a former top scorer in the Saudi League, laying the foundation for us to take control of the match.

It was 'just one mistake' that proved fatal.

In the 5th minute of the second half, he rushed out to catch a high-soaring ball. Perhaps because his shouts were drowned out by the deafening roar of the home fans, he collided with defender Lee Gi-hyuk and failed to clear it properly, ultimately conceding the winning goal.

[Kim Seung-gyu/National Football Team Goalkeeper: I judged that there were 'only our players' around, so I tried to come out and catch it safely. I should have been more focused, and I think the result changed because I wasn't.]

With the team at risk of shaking rapidly, Kim, acting as the eldest brother of the national team, comforted his junior teammate Lee Gi-hyuk and looked for a turnaround.

[Forget it quickly, and if we hold on from the back, those up front will get one for us.]

To make up for his mistake, he gritted his teeth and held on, just as he had said.

In the 30th minute of the second half, he blocked a decisive right-footed shot from Raúl Jiménez with his entire body, and in the 40th minute, he made an instinctive dive to catch a surprise long-range shot from the opponent.

Although the desperately needed equalizer did not come, Kim calmly looked forward to the next match.

[Let's not let the atmosphere drop. There is still one game left, and I believe we are in a slightly more advantageous position, so we need to unite once again and do well in the next match.]

For Kim Seung-gyu, it was just that one moment that was regrettable.

Now, he must leave the regret behind and run again here.

Reported by Hwang In-seok | Video by Park Gi-deok | Graphics by Seok Jin-seon
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.