'Frustration + Despair': Head bowed 'ace' Lee Kang-in says, "I am so sorry... my skills were insufficient" [World Cup On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea's key midfielder Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) bowed his head to football fans and his teammates. Amid the frustration of missing the chance for direct qualification, he blamed his own lack of skill and expressed a voice of deep self-reflection.

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, lost 0-1 to South Africa in the final third match of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Group A, held at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, at 10 a.m. (Korea time) on the 25th.

As a result, South Korea, now with one win and two losses (3 points), finished third in the group and faces a situation where its chances of advancing to the round of 32 will be determined by results in other groups.

After the match, Lee Kang-in squatted on the field and could not get up for a long time. As he bowed his head deeply in regret, Oh Hyun-kyu (Besiktas) approached to comfort him.

In a mixed zone interview after the match, Lee Kang-in said, "Rather than feeling regretful, I want to express my deepest apologies to the many football fans who have given so much support and to all the South Korean fans who have shown such great interest up to now," and added, "I feel very sorry to the players who could not play today," as he bowed his head.

On this day, the South Korean national team overall showed a heavy physical condition and continued to expose inaccurate play with numerous passing mistakes. When asked by reporters if there was a special reason for this decline in performance, he responded calmly, "Rather than focusing on that, we all need to reflect deeply because we failed to win two out of the three group stage matches."

He also added, "I also think my skills were significantly insufficient. Therefore, I believe I need to reflect more and strive to develop further in the future," expressing a voice of self-reflection.

Lee Kang-in appeared particularly struggling on the pitch after the final whistle. As the key playmaker leading the national team's attack, the weight and responsibility he carried were extraordinary. When asked about his feelings at the time, he said, "I was unable to bring about the desired result. As I just mentioned, many fans gave us so much support, and despite many difficult situations up to now, they continued to support us until the end." He continued, "I am so sorry. As a player, I think I need to reflect a lot. I believe we must reflect and make more efforts so that such situations do not happen again," bowing his head once more.

Now, the fate of Hong Myung-bo's team must be left to heaven. To secure the last ticket to the round of 32 tournament, which is given to the top eight teams among the 12th teams finishing third in their groups, they must anxiously await the results of matches in other groups over the next two to three days.

Although it is a time of waiting, Lee Kang-in conveyed his determination not to let go of the thread of hope and to prepare for the future. He said, "I hope all luck comes our way," and added, "While waiting, we still have to do our best because there may be future matches. We will reflect well and prepare so that such matches are never repeated."

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*This content was translated by AI.