Water bomb strikes World Cup site → Chaos from flooding... Hong Myung-bo's luck holds [Guadalajara IN]

*This content was translated by AI.

Even the sky is helping Hong Myung-bo's team. The South Korean national football team is maintaining peak condition while avoiding the terrifying heavy rains that have battered Guadalajara.

The local weather situation is far more serious than expected. Since the reporter arrived in Guadalajara on the 6th (local time), the area has been experiencing repeated torrential downpours that start around 8 p.m. daily and last for about two hours.

Even at 8 p.m. on the 11th, when Hong Myung-bo's team played against the Czech Republic, the initial weather forecast predicted a major storm with lightning, raising concerns about a water battle.

Until just before kickoff, the fickle weather kept everyone on edge, but fortunately, Hong Myung-bo's team faced the Czech Republic under clear skies. Although they conceded a goal from a powerful set piece and found themselves in a crisis, Korea, having perfectly adapted to the high altitude and Guadalajara's unique weather, showed resilience to secure a thrilling comeback victory and grab three points in their first World Cup match.

The power of the heavy rain was proven on the evening of the 12th, the day after the Czech Republic match. The reporter went to a restaurant for dinner near the hotel but ended up trapped inside. A local Mexican encountered on-site advised, "If you linger here much longer, the water will rise further and it will be difficult to return," so the reporter immediately stepped out onto the street, but the rainwater had already risen to just below the calves, making even walking difficult.

The process of hailing a taxi was even more arduous. In areas where drainage was inadequate, police cars had already completely blocked the roads, making entry impossible. In fact, real-time traffic application maps even showed police blocking the roads. Ultimately, the area around the media team's hotel turned into a completely flooded zone, and taxis could no longer enter. The team had to get out of the vehicle and run several hundred meters through the rain before finally making it back.

As a result of the back-to-back heavy rains, the hotel where the media team is staying even suffered a power outage. Earlier, Han In (Chairman) of Guadalajara told StarNews in an interview, "This area generally has poor drainage, so it is a vulnerable region that floods easily whenever it rains."

Coincidentally, the media team's hotel, which experienced this power outage and flooding, is located just over 2 km away from The Westin Guadalajara, the hotel currently occupied by the Hong Myeong-bo-ho (CEO) team. Had it been any closer, the national team players could have suffered critical damage to their condition management.

Fortunately, the national team is proceeding with its schedule without any damage. They are focusing on condition management at a secure hotel in preparation for upcoming matches.

Protected perfectly even amidst the water bomb that struck the city, Hong Myung-bo's team is moving forward steadily without wavering. After a light recovery training session the day after the Czech Republic victory to loosen up their bodies, the team was given complete rest the following day, and players were even allowed to meet with their local families, focusing on mental management and condition adjustment.

Having secured a favorable position for advancing to the Round of 32 with the victory over the Czech Republic, Hong Myung-bo's team is now aiming for the second group stage match against host nation Mexico amidst an atmosphere at its peak.

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*This content was translated by AI.