'Humiliating defeat' with a 'super save' that shone almost alone... Even so, Lee Ki-hyeok blamed himself: "The defeat was something we brought upon ourselves" [World Cup]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Ki-hyeok (Kangwon FC), the defender considered the team's greatest Cinderella, felt a heavier sense of responsibility than anyone else. Until being selected for the final World Cup roster, he had only one prior appearance in an A-match. Due to the sudden injury of starting defender Kim Tae-hyun, he started as a stopper in all three group stage matches of this tournament, protecting the national team's defense.

On the morning of the 25th (Korea time), Lee Ki-hyeok started in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Group A third match against South Africa held at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, and played the full 90 minutes.

In the earlier match against Mexico, he had unfortunately provided an opportunity for a goal due to a communication lapse with goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, but his sharp passing and playmaking ability from the midfield were a major weapon for Hong Myung-bo's team. In particular, during the match against South Africa, he made a 'super save' in the 19th minute of the first half by throwing his body to block a decisive shot from the opponent's Masiko, effectively saving the team from a crisis as if he had prevented a goal.

However, Hong Myung-bo's team failed to score in a futile attack and lost 0-1, dropping to third place in the group. Now, they can only hope for a last-ditch qualification for the Round of 32 by watching the results of other groups.

Immediately after the shocking defeat against South Africa, Lee Ki-hyeok's expression was dark as he stood before reporters in the mixed zone. Regarding the reasons for the players' heavy bodies and frequent passing errors overall, he stated, "The weather was hot, and mistakes occurred early on, which started to cause problems."

He continued, "I think we looked sluggish because we were concerned about our movements. However, the players truly ran hard individually. I don't want to use that as an excuse," and bowed his head.

Regarding the scene where he shouted loudly at his teammates during the first half, he explained, "I felt that if we couldn't focus early on and played like that, it would have a huge impact on the match result and performance. (Kim) Min-jae told me that if he couldn't focus, I could say whatever I wanted to him, so I felt that everyone wasn't focusing and told them to concentrate."

He also revealed the content of a special instruction given by coach Hong Myung-bo to the left-side players during the hydration break in the first half. Lee Ki-hyeok said, "The South African players were preparing to press us as we tried to come through the center. Since we were trying to play too much through the center, it was difficult to break out flexibly under strong pressure. The coach told us not to rush, to play wide, and if there was no space, to play back and operate."

Since they missed a match where a draw would have allowed them to qualify for the Round of 32 on their own, the locker room atmosphere was one of deep gloom. Lee Ki-hyeok said, "I think all the players are quite shocked. Qualifying based on other teams' results rather than our own performance makes a huge difference." He added, "Now, we have no choice but to wait. There may be another match, so let's regroup our minds and prepare hard among ourselves."

Now, even if South Korea qualifies for the Round of 32 by the skin of its teeth, they will finish third in the group, making a match against a strong team highly likely. Regarding the preparation process with an opponent yet to be determined, he coldly noted, "If we had finished second, the opponent might have been easier, but if we finish third, we will likely face the first-place team. They will likely have much stronger strength than South Korea."

He then said, "We need to prepare twice or three times harder than usual to avoid any gaps and deliver good performance and results. I am thinking that we must prepare even harder to avoid even a single mistake," showing his determination.

Finally, he analyzed the reason why they failed to properly cope with South Africa's repetitive, monotonous pattern of targeting South Korea's space behind throughout the match. Lee Ki-hyeok said, "The South African players are good individually and fast, so they seem to have prepared a lot for counterattacks. We tried to deal with that, but when we were tied, conceding a goal made South Korea more anxious, forcing us to raise our line drastically. It seems the match flowed too much in South Africa's favor, but since it was something we brought upon ourselves, I think we should have prepared better."

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*This content was translated by AI.