World Cup D-70 '5 Runs Without Scoring' and Coach Hong Myung-bo confidently said, "There were many chances to score... Tactics Completion Stage"

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, returned with a disastrous result of two consecutive losses in the final mock test ahead of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup. Coach Hong Myung-bo praised the team for its high tactical perfection through the away game, but the result of five scoreless runs is unlikely to avoid strong criticism two months before the finals.

According to Newsis, director Hong Myung-bo met with reporters after arriving at Incheon International Airport's Passenger Terminal 2 on the afternoon of the 2nd and said, "It was a valuable time to check what and how we should prepare on the main stage," adding, "Many factors, including the tactical part, have risen to the level where they can play in the finals."

In particular, when asked about the tactical completeness, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "The composition of the team has already laid the foundation to a large extent. "I'm careful to express it in specific numbers, but there's been a lot of progress," he said. "However, as fierce competition continues in some positions, we plan to watch closely until the final list is confirmed. From now on, it is more important than anything else to select the optimal number of people and start a precise analysis of the opposing team," he stressed.

However, in contrast to coach Hong Myung-bo's confidence, the true nature of the national team revealed in the A-match in March is close to the worst crisis in history. South Korea has not scored a single goal against Ivory Coast (0-4 loss) and Austria (0-1 loss), and its defense has been shaken greatly. In particular, coach Hong Myung-bo's three-back tactic, which emphasized completeness, exposed loopholes without controlling the opponent's space penetration at all even though he had a world-class defender named Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich).

In response, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "The most painful thing is that you shouldn't score first under any circumstances. If you allow the first run, it will be very difficult to lead the game," he said, acknowledging to some extent the failure of defense in the warm-up match.

In addition, regarding the lack of scoring, he said, "The failure to take advantage of the decisive opportunity must be supplemented, but there were many meaningful scenes in terms of the process," adding, "As we still have time until the finals, we will clearly refine the team's color and make it perfect in the U.S. pre-camp."

The silence of the offense is as serious as the defense that collapsed without a hitch. Team captain Son Heung-min (LAFC) has not scored in 10 consecutive official games, combining his team and national team. In response, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "I was not in perfect condition at the time of the call, so I controlled the playing time and was considerate," adding, "Son Heung-min is performing his role well as a leader and a veteran." There is no doubt that it is still the root and core of the team," he defended.

In addition, head coach Hong Myung-bo commented on the combination of the midfield, "Kim Jin-kyu and Baek Seung-ho performed better than expected," but there was no clear alternative to fill the void of Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who was out due to injury.

In this A-match, the so-called fourth-quarter soccer was played with the implementation of the hydration break. South Korea exposed their concentration and physical problems that dropped sharply after the hydration break in two games. Coach Hong Myung-bo said, "Before the break, it was going well. I checked through the data, he said. "We are studying the best way to maintain concentration, such as finely adjusting the distribution of training time and rest in case the flow is cut off in the middle."

During the A-match period in March, Mexico (15th) and the Czech Republic (41st) have recently boosted their rankings, while South Korea has fallen from 22nd to 25th.

When asked about the completeness of the national team with about two months left in the finals, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "It's a little too much to say what percentage it is, but it's a lot (to be completed)," adding, "I emphasized the prevention of injuries to the players." The schedule is tight until the World Cup, so we will have to prepare well," he added.

The national team under coach Hong Myung-bo will now go through pre-camp in the U.S. and enter Mexico, the site of the showdown, in early June. Starting with the first match against the Czech Republic on June 12, the team will face host Mexico and South Africa in turn.

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*This content was translated by AI.