South Korea must break first-goal jinx to beat South Africa

Korea conceded first in all four World Cup matches against African sides; head-to-head record stands at 1 win, 1 draw, 2 losses

Son Heung-min arrives at the South Korea national team's hotel in Monterrey, Mexico, on Sunday ahead of the team's third group-stage match at the 2026 North America World Cup. [Yonhap]

South Korea's national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will look to seal a place in the round of 32 when it faces South Africa in the final Group A match Thursday at 10 a.m. Korean Standard Time.

Currently sitting second in the group after two matches, South Korea would advance on its own merit with even a draw. However, experts warn that a passive approach could be dangerous, as South Africa — in a must-win situation — is expected to throw everything forward. The players themselves have said they are focused solely on winning.

Hong's side earned a 2-1 comeback victory over the Czech Republic in the opener before falling 1-0 to host nation Mexico in the second match, ending any hope of finishing first in the group. Mexico has already clinched top spot with two wins.

South Africa are the weakest team in Group A, ranked 61st in FIFA's live rankings — 38 places below South Korea at 23rd. More concerning for Korea, however, is its historically poor record against African opponents at the World Cup.

South Korea has faced African teams four times at the World Cup, winning just once, for a record of 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses. That sole victory came against Togo at the 2006 Germany World Cup — a 2-1 win that remains Korea's only victory over an African side at the tournament in the past 20 years.

Korea drew 2-2 with Nigeria at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, then suffered a 2-4 defeat to Algeria at the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Even at the 2022 Qatar World Cup — where Korea achieved its second-ever round-of-16 finish at an away tournament — it lost 2-3 to Ghana in the second group-stage match.

Hong himself has a troubled record against African sides in international matches. During his first stint in charge, in the year leading up to the 2014 Brazil World Cup, he posted 1 win and 3 losses against African opponents, including the defeat to Algeria. In his current second stint his record stands at 1 win and 1 loss — a 1-0 home friendly win over Ghana last November, followed by a 0-4 loss to Ivory Coast in a European away match in March.

South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo oversees a training session at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, on Saturday. [Yonhap]

South Korea has conceded the opening goal in all four of its World Cup matches against African teams. Falling behind early has consistently made for difficult games, with Korea often caught off guard by the physical size, pace and rhythmic attacking play typical of African sides before giving up an early goal.

Conceding first is a disadvantage for any team, and South Africa has been no exception. Against Mexico in the first match — a 0-2 defeat — South Africa gave up the decisive opening goal to Julian Quinones in just the ninth minute. In the second match against the Czech Republic, which ended 1-1, they again conceded first, this time to Michal Sadilek in the sixth minute.

South Africa also conceded in the first half of all four matches it played before being eliminated in the round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded in January.

The absence of South Africa's key midfielder Teboho Mokoena and attacking midfielder Themba Zwane — both of Mamelodi — will be a boost for Hong's side. Mokoena is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, while Zwane was sent off in the first match and will also miss Thursday's game.

With so much at stake, South Korea is expected to field its strongest starting lineup. However, there is speculation that Hong may deliberate until the last moment over whether to start Son Heung-min of LAFC — who has played as the lone striker in both previous matches but has yet to score — and where to deploy him.

yjc@heraldcorp.com