"Only two months before the World Cup, two consecutive losses" Coach Hong Myung-bo returned home, saying, "I'm sorry about the result... "The final entry will be made based on the experiments so far."

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national soccer team, including head coach Hong Myung-bo, returned home after an away evaluation match in Europe in March. Hong Myung-bo Team, which lost its second straight game in the final mock test ahead of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup, entered the arrival hall in a rather heavy atmosphere.

According to News 1, Hong Myung-bo met with reporters after arriving through Incheon International Airport's Passenger Terminal 2 on the afternoon of the 2nd, saying, "I feel sorry as a coach for not bringing the result," but added, "But it was a very helpful warm-up match for the team."

Coach Hong Myung-bo added, "The two opposing countries are different teams in different styles, and it was a great opportunity to see what and how we should prepare for the finals in the future."

In particular, Coach Hong Myung-bo responded positively, saying, "This match against Austria will help us prepare for the Czech match," referring to the situation in which the opponent in the first group match (European playoff pass D) was confirmed to be Czech Republic during the A match in March.

Coach Hong Myung-bo, who finished the last official match before the opening of the World Cup, will now speed up the selection of final entries to play in the finals. Coach Hong Myung-bo said, "The composition of the players has been organized to some extent. There are players who have to watch until the end in some positions, but the big frame is complete," he said. "We will make a comprehensive evaluation based on the experiments so far and form a final list. We will also go to the K-League site for the rest of the time to check on the players," he said.

On the way home, five domestic and Asian league players, including Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan HD), Kim Jin-kyu, Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Hyundai), and Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon Hanati Season), and Kim Joo-sung (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), who needs a thorough examination due to an injury against Austria, and the coaches accompanied Hong Myung-bo. Overseas players such as Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) were immediately released from the field and returned to their teams.

The result of the national team's A match in March, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, is considered the worst crisis ever. In this away match, targeting the Czech Republic and South Africa, the group A opponents, South Korea fell to the Ivory Coast (0-4 loss) and Austria (0-1 loss) one after another.

In fact, the three-back, which has become Plan A, exposed defensive instability, and the weight of the midfield without Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) also decreased. In particular, captain Son Heung-min suffered from lack of decisiveness as he went scoreless in 10 consecutive official games.

This slump led to a decline in FIFA rankings. In the ranking announced on the 1st, Korea fell three places to 25th. Mexico (15th) and the Czech Republic (41st), South Korea's World Cup opponents, have risen in the rankings.

Coach Hong Myung-bo will announce the final list of the North Korea-China World Cup in May. The national team will then go through three weeks of quenching at the U.S. pre-camp before entering Mexico in early June. South Korea under Hong Myung-bo will play its first match against the Czech Republic on June 12, followed by host Mexico on June 19 and South Africa on June 25.

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*This content was translated by AI.