"Unfamiliar compliments poured into the Hong Myung-bo Team." Why? Enemy Rangnick said, "We were just a 'devastating victory'... "Promise to get back together with SON"

*This content was translated by AI.

World-renowned coach Ralf Rangnick (68) of the Austrian national soccer team praised South Korea's performance.

South Korea's national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, lost 0-1 to Marcel Javicher in the third minute of the second half in a warm-up match against Austria at Ernst Havel Stadium in Vienna, Austria on the 1st (Korea time).

South Korea, which was completely defeated 0-4 in the first A match in March against Ivory Coast in Milton Keynes, England, on the 28th of last month, lost to Austria and finished the two consecutive A matches in March with all losses. In particular, Hong Myung-bo Team failed to score a single goal in two games and lost five goals, raising concerns ahead of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup.

South Korea exposed the chronic weaknesses of the three-back even after changing eight starters after the crushing defeat against Ivory Coast. In the match against Austria, South Korea, which played a 3-4-2-1 format, lost a point to Marcel Javicher in the third minute of the second half. Defenders such as Kim Min-jae were concentrated in the box, but they could not control the opponent's space penetration at all. The tragedy against Ivory Coast, where the side defense collapsed without a hitch in the opponent's individual skills, seems to have been repeated.

The lack of decisiveness of the offense also hampered it. Son Heung-min faced several decisive one-on-one opportunities with the support of Lee Jae-sung and Lee Kang-in, but none of them led to a score. In the 18th minute of the second half, Hwang Hee-chan, Hong Hyun-seok, and Yang Hyun-jun were put in the game at the same time, but they failed to open the tightly closed goal.

However, after the game, coach Ralf Rangnick praised South Korea's performance. Austrian media LAOLA1 said on the same day, "Coach Rangnick had a good feeling ahead of the World Cup. He expressed his joy at this "Ugly win," he reported.

According to the media, coach Rangnick said, "Korea showed a really good side," adding, "The Korean players gave us little space, and physically, they hit and played very intensely."

At the same time, he expected South Korea, which belongs to Group A in the group stage, to advance to the tournament and meet Austria again. "I had a direct conversation with Son Heung-min in the locker room after the game," he said with a smile. "If we face each other again on a higher stage of the World Cup finals, both sides agreed that it would be a great pleasure."

Captain and Real Madrid defender David Alaba also gave high marks to the visiting team's performance. "South Korea performed very well in the absence of the ball, aggressive and energetic pressure," Alaba said. He played technically excellent soccer," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.