"Taking out the ace?" The Czech version of Hong Myung-bo's tactic also 'failed miserably'... The 75-year-old veteran faced harsh criticism, and after 20 years, they were eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea was not the only team to bench its ace. The Czech Republic, in the same group, also made a bold move by excluding key striker Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) from the starting lineup in the final group stage match, which they had to win. However, the result was disastrous. The Czech Republic suffered a heavy defeat and tasted the bitterness of group stage elimination even on the World Cup main stage for the first time in 20 years.

On the 25th (Korean time), the Czech Republic was comprehensively defeated 0-3 by Mexico in the third match of the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF) World Cup Group A, held at the Mexico City Stadium. With this result, the Czech Republic finished their World Cup journey as the bottom team in Group A with a dismal record of one draw and two losses (one point).

On this day, the '75-year-old veteran' Miroslav Koubek, head coach of the Czech national football team, made a bold decision. He excluded Schick, the team's key striker and main goal-scorer, from the starting lineup. Even if Schick had been in poor scoring form in this tournament, leaving out the ace in the final match, which was a must-win, was not an easy decision. Reuters also noted, "The Czech Republic, in a situation where they needed to achieve the result required to reach the round of 32, left striker Schick on the bench." Schick is also the joint top scorer of Euro 2020.

It was almost a scene similar to the South Korean national football team. Head coach Hong Myung-bo also excluded 'captain' Son Heung-min (LAFC) from the starting lineup in the final Group A match against South Africa, instead putting Oh Hyun-kyu (Besiktas) forward as the main striker. However, the result was cruel. Oh Hyun-kyu was isolated throughout the first half and struggled to create proper shooting opportunities. Head coach Hong Myung-bo brought on Son Heung-min as soon as the second half began, but he could not open the opponent's goal in the end.

Instead, South Korea conceded a decisive goal to Tafel Masako (AEL Limassol) in the 18th minute of the second half and lost 0-1. In the end, Head coach Hong Myung-bo's tactic of excluding Son Heung-min from the starting lineup did not work. Ultimately, South Korea missed the chance to advance to the round of 32 as the second-place team in Group A, which would have been possible with just a draw. They finished third in Group A with one win and two losses (three points), leaving them to watch the results of other groups.

The British media outlet The Sun also focused on this scene. After the match, the outlet stated, "Head coach Hong Myung-bo made a shocking decision to exclude the team's captain, Son Heung-min, who is widely regarded as Asia's all-time greatest player, from the starting lineup." It further reported, "Head coach Hong Myung-bo made three substitutions, including Son Heung-min, as soon as the second half began to change the flow of the game," but added, "South Korea pushed hard for an equalizer in the final moments of the match, but time was insufficient."

The Czech Republic was no different. Although they seemed to fight hard against Mexico in the early stages, they gradually lost momentum as time passed. They were repeatedly shaken by Mexico's quick attacks and wing penetrations, conceding three goals in the second half alone. Coach Koubek finally brought on Schick in the 19th minute of the second half when the score was 0-2. However, the flow of the game had already completely shifted to Mexico's side. Schick managed only five touches and did not record a single shot. Ultimately, the Czech Republic had to accept their elimination from the World Cup following their final match defeat.

The British Guardian strongly criticized the Czech Republic's elimination. The outlet stated, "There are many ways to leave the World Cup. You can fight head-on against a strong team and lose gloriously, or you can pack your bags while blaming the referee's decisions and fate due to bad luck. There are also cases where a team collapses on its own due to a red card, an own goal, or a massive error."

It continued, "Or you can quietly disappear without leaving any trace. That is exactly the path the Czech Republic chose," harshly criticizing them.

The Guardian mocked, "Almost no one will remember that the Czech Republic participated in the North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup 20 years from now. Perhaps only Irish fans who gave the Czech Republic a World Cup ticket in the European regional playoff qualifiers will recall 'how badly the Czech Republic squandered this opportunity.'"

It also pointed out the Czech Republic's tactical choice. The outlet noted, "If the Czech Republic had won their final match, they could have advanced to the next round, but that possibility was hardly visible. Coach Koubek excluded the two most experienced players, Schick and Tomas Soucek (West Ham), from the starting lineup. As a result, Mexico's 17-year-old player Gilberto Mora (Tijuana) was left with an open path to dominate the match."

Mexico had already secured first place in Group A. Head coach Javier Aguirre made changes to the starting lineup for five players. Some expressed concern that Mexico might be resting most of its starters, potentially raising controversy over the fairness of the tournament, but this did not materialize. The Guardian evaluated, "Mexico was far superior to the Czech Republic."

Coach Koubek's post-match remarks also failed to escape criticism. Regarding the Czech Republic's performance against Mexico, Coach Koubek assessed, "It was probably our best game of this tournament." However, the Guardian stated, "This claim lacked credibility," and once again coldly pointed out, "The Czech Republic left the North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup with no one to mourn them."

The Czech Republic had reached the World Cup main stage for the first time in 20 years since the 2006 Germany World Cup. At that time, the team was led by world-class players such as Pavel Nedved and Tomas Rosicky. They raised expectations by comprehensively defeating the United States 3-0 in their first match, but they subsequently lost 0-2 to both Ghana and Italy, finishing with one win and two losses (three points) and being eliminated in third place in the group.

Even in the World Cup return after 20 years, the result did not change. In fact, the performance was even more bitter. The Czech Republic failed to win a single match in this tournament and withdrew as the bottom team in the group. Both South Korea and the Czech Republic made the bold move of benching their ace in the final group stage match, but the result was a failure for both.

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*This content was translated by AI.