Starting Lineup, Substitutions, and Tactics All 'Failing Grades'… Hong Myung-bo: "The Result Is My Responsibility"

[Anchor]

Those who watched today's (June 25) match likely found it difficult to understand the decisions made by head coach Hong Myung-bo. From leaving captain Son Heung-min out of the starting lineup to the sluggish offense in the final minutes—as if the team were already leading while trailing—his substitutions and tactics were questionable throughout the game. It ultimately led to a dismal performance that will go down in the history of Korean football.

Here is the report by Ha Seong-nyong.

[Reporter]

When the starting lineup was announced one hour before kickoff, the world was taken by surprise.

It was because the pillar of Korean football, captain Son Heung-min, had been excluded from the starting eleven.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo explained that it was a decision made with the second half in mind.

[Hong Myung-bo/Head Coach of the National Football Team: (My judgment was that) rather than having (Son Heung-min) play in the first half when the opponent is fresh, it would be better to bring him on after 45 minutes when more space opens up.]

Coach Hong's intentions did not work at all.

He deployed Oh Hyeon-gyu and Hwang Hee-chan instead of Son in the first half to shake up the opposing defense with high pressure, but such pressure was rarely seen.

The price for the failed pressure was high.

South African midfielders with strong dribbling and speed, such as Maseko and Mbatha, freely led counterattacks and took control of the flow.

The team's organization was also in shambles.

Perhaps due to physical fatigue, the gap between the defense and offense widened, causing the team to consistently lose the numbers game in midfield. Lee Kang-in, the center of the attack, could not find anyone to pass to and had to drop deep to receive the ball, failing to create any meaningful opportunities.

[Jang Ji-hyun/SBS Commentator: Pattern plays through one-touch connections, attacking the half-spaces—everything collapsed all at once. It was a first half where there were problems with absolutely everything.]

When Son Heung-min and Castrop were substituted in at the start of the second half, the attack briefly showed signs of life, but the plan went awry again after conceding a goal from a single counterattack.

With South Africa holding the lead and refusing to push their defensive line up, Son's attempts to penetrate the space behind the defense were ineffective.

Tall striker Cho Gue-sung was brought on, but he had no impact as there were no quality crosses coming in.

The management of the game in the final minutes of the second half was shocking.

Trailing in the match, the team maintained a 'three-back' defensive formation instead of increasing the number of attacking players, as if they were the team in the lead.

Coach Hong Myung-bo, who had tested a four-back formation in friendly matches despite much controversy to prepare for situations where an attack was desperate, hesitated to make a tactical change when it was needed most.

Watching the defeat from the bench until the final moment, Coach Hong stated that he takes responsibility.

[Hong Myung-bo/Head Coach of the National Football Team: Ultimately, everything was judged and decided by me, and since I judged and decided incorrectly, I believe that is why the result was not good.]

The shocking defeat against South Africa, a team considered a 'must-win' opponent, will remain a painful humiliation in the history of Korean football.

(Video reporting: Hwang In-seok, Video editing: Ha Seong-won)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.