Hong Myung-bo's team struggled against South Africa, ranked 60th, but was saved by super defense and super saves.

*This content was translated by AI.

It was a first half that ended with a sigh of relief.

The first half of the Group A third match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers between South Korea and South Africa, which determines whether the South Korean national football team will advance to the Round of 32, has concluded. Although South Korea maintained high ball possession, South Africa actually created more decisive scoring opportunities.

South Korea, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, is facing South Africa in the Group A third match of the tournament held at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on the 25th at 10 a.m. (Korea time). The first half ended without any goals. If the match ends as is, South Korea will advance to the Round of 32 as the second-place team in the group and face Canada.

The atmosphere was good in the early part of the first half. Lee Kang-in's powerful shot narrowly missed the goalpost, threatening South Africa's goal. However, the situation began to shake up rapidly after the mid-first half. In particular, in the 19th minute of the first half, there was a near miss that could have led to a goal during a counterattack. However, Lee Ki-hyuk (Kangwon FC) blocked the shot by Tafelo Maseko (AEL Limassol) with a decisive tackle. It was truly a "super defense."

In the 30th minute of the first half, South Korea was once again pushed into a goal-scoring crisis. The defense was helpless as the opponent dribbled past. A powerful long-range shot by Talente Mbuyita (Orlando Pirates) headed toward the South Korean goal. Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) made a diving save. It was the first super save.

However, the ball kicked by Kim Seung-gyu unfortunately drifted into the penalty area and fell at the feet of Evidence Mogopae (Orlando). It was a decisive one-on-one crisis allowed from a point even further ahead than the penalty spot. However, Kim Seung-gyu also stopped Mogopae's shot. According to the football statistics media FootMob, Mogopae's expected goals (xG) reached 0.58, but Kim Seung-gyu stopped it.

South Korea could not change the flow even after that. As the frustrating performance continued, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) even dropped down to the centerback line to participate in build-up play, but even that was limited in options amidst the disappointing movements of other teammates.

Instead, South Korea allowed Maseko another shooting opportunity in a counterattack situation in the 39th minute of the first half. As a result, the first half ended in a 0-0 draw. Looking back at the chances of both teams in the first half, it was not the 25th-ranked South Korea but the 60th-ranked South Africa that regretted the lack of goals.

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*This content was translated by AI.