"Turning Regret into Motivation"... Taeguk Warriors Back in Action

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Following the disappointing loss to Mexico in the North and Central America World Cup, our national football team is now preparing for their final group stage match against South Africa. With the possibility of advancing to the Round of 32 still high, the team is determined to pour everything they have into the game without losing confidence.

Lee Jung-chan reports from Guadalajara.

[Reporter]

Putting the frustration of the one-goal defeat behind them, our players have started running again with energetic applause.

Players who had relatively less playing time showed more vitality, and Eom Ji-sung’s "intensity" in his eyes stood out in particular.

Eom Ji-sung was subbed in during the second half of the match against Mexico and created the team's most threatening moment by delivering a sharp cross toward Cho Gue-sung.

[Eom Ji-sung/National Football Team Midfielder: Even in that short amount of time, the match against Ghana (at the Qatar World Cup) flashed through my mind. It’s true that it was a matter of luck that I couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. If it had gone just a little bit to the side, it could have been a goal.]

Although Cho Gue-sung’s header did not find the back of the net like it did during the Qatar tournament four years ago, the team plans to use this regret as fuel to run even harder in the match against South Africa.

[Eom Ji-sung/National Football Team Midfielder: It served as a great motivation for how I should approach the next game. Our confidence hasn't dropped, and I believe that if we players just keep working silently as we have been, we will get a good result.]

Expectations for the match against South Africa are growing as the contributions of the "young blood"—including Eom Ji-sung, Yang Hyun-jun, and Oh Hyeon-gyu, who scored the comeback goal against the Czech Republic—who are appearing on the World Cup stage for the first time, are gradually increasing.

The players, who have been in camp for over a month, plan to take a break from training today (the 21st) and spend time with their families to recharge.

There is no time or need to dwell on regrets.

Without overthinking, if they defeat South Africa, they can head to Los Angeles, where the Round of 32 will be held, with high spirits.

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