Park Ji-sung also expressed his final anger, saying, "Why aren't we sending more attackers when we're losing? Why are we keeping four defenders back?"

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Ji-sung (45), a football commentator hailed as "a living legend of Korean football," repeatedly expressed his frustration and sorrow during the match, filled with anger and helplessness.

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo (FIFA ranking 25th), lost 0-1 to the Republic of South Africa (FIFA ranking 60th) in the third match of Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the CONCACAF region, held on the 25th (Korean time) at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.

As a result, the South Korean national team fell to third place in the group, failing to qualify for the Round of 32 on its own. South Korea's final elimination has not yet been confirmed. The results of other third-placed teams in other groups must be awaited. Among the 12th groups, the top eight third-placed teams can advance to the Round of 32.

In a match held at the same time, Mexico defeated the Czech Republic 3-0 and secured first place in the group with nine points. South Africa finished second in the group and advanced to the Round of 32.

On this day, South Korea could have secured second place in the group on its own by earning just one point from a draw against South Africa. Had South Korea finished second in the group, it would have faced Canada in the Round of 32, with a comfortable path to the Round of 16. However, after suffering a blow from South Africa, the team found itself on an uncertain path.

Park Ji-sung, a JTBC commentator who broadcast the match live from the venue, questioned Hong Myung-bo's offensive tactics while South Korea was trailing 0-1.

During the match, Park repeatedly expressed his regret during cross situations, saying, "There is only Cho Gue-sung inside the penalty box right now."

He raised his voice, stating, "When the ball goes to the wing, there are only two players penetrating the goal area. Since we are currently losing, there should be three to four players when such crosses come in."

Park also emphasized, "South Africa has players inside the goal area, and only two are coming out (toward the attack side), while we have four players blocking (defending). In this situation, we need to actively move forward (toward the attack side)." It was a roar filled with anger from the usually gentle commentator Park.

Towards the end of the match, Park said, "Cho Gue-sung came on, and there was a late attack aimed at his head. Although they are passing the ball, they are struggling to create chances, so we need to send attacks aimed at Cho Gue-sung's head. From now on, we need to take a risk by moving one of the center-backs to the center like a striker to play the game."

Park expressed his regret, saying, "From the first match to the third match, we were almost the same. We focused on defense while trying to attack, but what was most disappointing was that we did not show clearly how we would attack in the goal area."

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*This content was translated by AI.