South Korea's Lee Kang-in reacts with disappointment after the team's 0-1 loss to South Africa at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on Wednesday (local time), which confirmed South Korea's third-place finish in Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Yonhap]
South Korea's Lee Kang-in reacts with disappointment after the team's 0-1 loss to South Africa at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on Wednesday (local time), which confirmed South Korea's third-place finish in Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Yonhap]

After South Korea's defeat to South Africa in the final group-stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, JTBC commentator Park Ji-sung delivered a sharp rebuke of coach Hong Myung-bo's side, saying the team had "repeated the same mistakes as 2014."

South Korea fell 0-1 to South Africa on Wednesday in a Group A match at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico. The team finished third in the group with one win and two losses, leaving them dependent on results from other third-place sides to advance.

After South Africa scored the opening goal in the second half, Park raised his voice in commentary. "If you're losing, you need three or four players making runs into the box on crosses. The opposition has everyone in the box, yet we have four players sitting back in defense," he said. "The bench needs to send instructions to go forward — but nothing changes."

Past the 85th minute, Park continued: "South Africa have five or six players pushing forward. We need to take a gamble. There's nobody in the box. We're losing — there should be at least four players in there."

He then added, "Whether we're losing 1-0 or 2-0, the defensive shape doesn't change. The tactics never shift, and the frustration just keeps building."

South Korea's Lee Kang-in reacts with disappointment after the team's 0-1 loss to South Africa at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on Wednesday (local time), which confirmed South Korea's third-place finish in Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Yonhap]
South Korea's Lee Kang-in reacts with disappointment after the team's 0-1 loss to South Africa at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on Wednesday (local time), which confirmed South Korea's third-place finish in Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Yonhap]

Park's criticism grew sharper in the post-match analysis broadcast.

"We need to ask ourselves whether this team was actually trying to win," he said. "There was no plan for how to build attacks. We saw the same thing in all three matches. Looking purely at the tactics, there was no will to win."

He then drew a direct comparison to the 2014 World Cup. "When things went wrong in 2014, the problems ran from the preparation all the way through to the results, and we had time to learn from that," Park said. "But this time, it looks like we've repeated that same history all over again."

"There's still a chance to reach the round of 32, but there was no change across three matches," he added. "Repeating 2014 can only mean that something is going wrong at the very top of Korean football."

Coach Hong Myung-bo, speaking to reporters after the match, accepted responsibility. "After conceding the first goal, the players looked a little rushed in how they managed the game," he said. "For the result of Wednesday's match, the responsibility is mine as the manager."


dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com