Lee Chun-soo: 'Better to bring him on in the second half'

Lee Eul-yong: 'Too early — he still had something left'

Son Heung-min warms up before South Korea's Group A second-round match against Mexico at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on Friday. [Yonhap]
Son Heung-min warms up before South Korea's Group A second-round match against Mexico at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on Friday. [Yonhap]

Criticism has mounted over the early substitution of Son Heung-min in South Korea's match against Mexico.

South Korea, managed by head coach Hong Myung-bo, fell 0-1 to host nation Mexico on Friday in their Group A second-round match at the 2026 North America World Cup at Guadalajara Stadium.

A costly mistake by goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) and center back Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon) five minutes into the second half proved decisive. South Korea, now with one win and one loss for three points, retained second place in the group but failed to secure a round-of-32 berth. They must earn at least a draw in their final group-stage match against South Africa (one draw, one loss, one point) on Thursday.

The most contentious issue after the final whistle was the timing of the substitution of Son Heung-min. In the first match against the Czech Republic, replacing Son with Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) in the 69th minute paid off, leading directly to the winning goal. Hong deployed the same move against Mexico, but the hoped-for goal never came.

Even in the Czech Republic match, pulling Son had not been a straightforward call — he had attempted six shots and 22 passes before being substituted, consistently unsettling the opposing defense. Yet Hong's bold decision was vindicated by Oh's winner.

Against Mexico, Son was taken off 12 minutes earlier than he had been in the first match, prompting criticism that the substitution came too soon.

South Korea brought on Oh Hyeon-gyu, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic) and Eom Ji-sung (Swansea) in a series of attacking changes, but could not break down the Mexican goal. Late in the match, Son watched from the bench as Cho's header was saved by the Mexican goalkeeper, burying his head in his hands.

Lee Chun-soo, a member of South Korea's 2002 FIFA World Cup semifinal squad, reacted on his YouTube channel the moment Son was substituted, scratching his head and calling the decision "ambiguous." Fellow guest Lee Eul-yong said, "Isn't that too early? He still has something left in him," while Lee Geun-ho added, "Heung-min looks in good shape, doesn't he?" Lee Chun-soo then said, "If that's the plan, it would be better to bring him on in the second half instead."

Former national team defender Park Joo-ho also raised doubts on his own YouTube channel when Son was substituted. "Isn't this a bit early? I think they should have left Heung-min on a little longer," he said.

Ki Sung-yueng (Pohang), a former national team captain, also expressed regret over the early substitution. Speaking on a YouTube channel, he said, "Honestly, wouldn't Son have been more of a threat in attack if he had played out wide rather than as a lone striker?"

Some voices cautioned against reading too much into the substitution timing as an exercise in hindsight. Others argued the bigger problem was not when Son was taken off, but the lack of any tactical adjustment after his departure.


yjc@heraldcorp.com