'Hong Myung-bo's tactical gamble' the worst choice in history... Joker Son Heung-min + Starting striker Hwang Hee-chan '0 effective shots' [World Cup on-site analysis]

*This content was translated by AI.

Coach Hong Myung-bo's tactical gamble against the weakest team, South Africa, ultimately backfired as the worst blunder. Although a draw would have secured a spot in the Round of 32 on their own merits, the unique experiment of benching the ace and deploying an aggressive striker in the center ended in complete failure. With even the bold move of excluding the captain from the starting lineup failing to work, Hong's team suffered a great humiliation by dropping to third place in the group.

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The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat against South Africa in the final third match of the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean Cup Group A group stage, held at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, at 10 a.m. (Korea time) on the 25th. With one win and two losses (3 points), South Korea fell to third place in the group behind South Africa. Thanks to Mexico's victory over Czechia, South Korea narrowly avoided the worst disaster of finishing last in the group and was left in a pitiful position, forced to watch the results of other groups.

The biggest blunder of the match was the first exclusion of Son Heung-min (LAFC) from the starting lineup and the deployment of Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) as a striking duo. The final scorecard after the match was miserable. Both players, who were selected as the core of the tactic, recorded zero effective shots and remained completely silent in the attacking phase.

Coach Hong Myung-bo initially deployed a 3-4-1-2 formation, featuring Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) and Hwang Hee-chan as the front-line striking duo. In particular, Hwang Hee-chan, who earned his first starting opportunity in this tournament, was assigned the task of moving between the center and the flanks, instead of the left second-line area where Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) had previously played.

However, the tactic of narrowing Hwang Hee-chan, whose strengths are direct breakthroughs and flank-breaking power, into the central area proved toxic. Hwang Hee-chan was blocked by South Africa's dense compact defense, unable to utilize his breakthrough ability at all, and was substituted off after the first half without any achievement.

Unable to find an opening in the attack, Coach Hong made a tactical gamble by bringing on Son Heung-min as a joker right at the start of the second half. The calculation was to exploit South Africa's desperate need for a win; if South Africa pushed their line up hastily in the latter stages of the match, Son Heung-min, who had preserved his energy, would be used to destroy the loosened space behind their defense.

However, this scenario was completely derailed when South Africa's Maseko (Lima Sol) scored a shocking first goal in the 18th minute of the second half. Having scored a goal and no longer in a hurry, South Africa immediately dropped their line and firmly settled into a full defensive formation. What Son Heung-min faced in his attempt to exploit the space behind was an extremely narrow space where not even a finger could be moved. Ultimately, Son Heung-min also failed to seize any significant opportunity and was thoroughly isolated by South Africa's defensive wall.

Amid the coach's tactical misjudgment, South Korea's attack exposed only its limitations. Unable to find a solution in the thoroughly compacted space, the team consistently played static and dull football, relying on Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain)'s individual ability with monotonous long kicks aimed only at the head of Jo Gyu-sung (Midtjylland), who was substituted in during the second half. Although they continued to batter the goal until the 6th minute of stoppage time in the second half, the attack, stripped of tactical flexibility, ultimately failed to break through South Africa's locked-down defense.

Coach Hong Myung-bo's gamble, which aimed to maximize power, height, and the joker card while considering the opponent's characteristics, ultimately resulted in only the collapse of balance on both offense and defense. Hong's team, which had seized the advantageous position, threw away their chance to qualify for the Round of 32 on their own merits.

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*This content was translated by AI.