'Taek-seok! Hee-chan! Come here!' Coach Hong Myung-bo actively utilizes the hydration break → What instructions were given? [World Cup On-Site Issues]

*This content was translated by AI.

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korea national football team, is actively utilizing the first-ever 'tactical timeout' in World Cup history.

The South Korea national football team and South Africa are playing the final Group A match of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup group stage at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, at 10 a.m. (Korean time) on the 25th.

The hydration break, newly introduced in this World Cup, is acting as the biggest variable that can alter the flow of the match.

In this tournament, a three-minute hydration break is mandatory in every match at the 22nd minute of the first half and the 22nd minute of the second half, regardless of on-site environmental conditions such as temperature or weather.

Originally, this break was intended to provide players with rest for hydration and physical recovery, but for coaches of each nation, it serves as a de facto tactical timeout capable of drastically changing the game's momentum. With regular breaks forcibly guaranteed in the middle of each half, the matches in this World Cup are unfolding in a four-quarter format, much like basketball.

Coach Hong Myung-bo, who had already utilized the hydration break tactically in previous group stage matches, quickly gathered the players on the pitch as soon as the opportunity arose in today's match against South Africa. Having already issued instructions to reverse the game's flow starting from the break time during pre-tournament friendly matches, Coach Hong moved with seasoned expertise today as well.

In particular, Coach Hong focused intensely on the left LINE formed by Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), who started together for the first time in this match against South Africa. He separately called Lee Tae-seok toward the coaching staff area, issuing storm-like instructions while mixing in vigorous hand gestures, and gathered the players to continuously order tactical adjustments to exploit South Africa's weaknesses.

Just as he first called up Son Heung-min (LAFC), who started in the first hydration break during the initial match against Czech Republic, and then instructed Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Seol Young-woo (Crvena Zvezda), this time too, meticulous customized coaching continued. Meanwhile, South Africa's coach Hugo Broos also continued issuing instructions while urging players drinking water.

During the three minutes when players caught their breath inside and outside the touchline and absorbed the coach's instructions, the spectators who filled Estadio BBVA simultaneously sang along to the music flowing into the stadium.

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*This content was translated by AI.