"They cheered 'sweet draw,' now they're packing." Japanese netizens celebrate with mockery as South Korea is shocked by elimination: "What 32nd round with 3 points..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Japan quickly reported the shocking elimination of South Korea. Japanese netizens also expressed cold opinions.

On the 28th (Korea time), the Democratic Republic of the Congo secured a 3-1 comeback victory against Uzbekistan in the Group K third match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage held at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. As a result, the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss (4 points), finishing third in the group and advancing to the round of 32, while Uzbekistan ended the tournament with three consecutive losses.

With the Democratic Republic of the Congo's victory, Hong Myung-bo's team, which had dropped from eighth to ninth place in the final line of competition for third place in the group, was ultimately confirmed to have failed to advance to the round of 32, regardless of the outcome of the remaining Austria-Algeria match.

Immediately after the match, Japan's "Nikkan Sports" reported South Korea's elimination. The media reported, "South Korea failed to advance to the 32nd round tournament based on the results of the final group stage matches in other groups."

The media explained, "South Korea was barely hanging on at eighth place among the third-place group just before the match. However, as competing teams successively secured points and the Congo staged a comeback victory against Uzbekistan, South Korea was eliminated regardless of the final Group J results."

It further stated, "Japanese netizens showed various reactions to the group stage elimination of an Asian powerhouse that holds the record for reaching the semifinals in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup."

According to the media, Japanese netizens reacted with comments such as "South Korea game over," "South Korea's elimination is decided," and "South Korea couldn't make it after all."

In the comments section of the article, one netizen wrote, "The Congo has many players from famous European clubs, including Aaron Wan-Bissaka, so their strength is actually superior to South Korea's. This is a natural result."

Other netizens remarked, "The World Cup is not easy to survive with 1 win, 2 losses, and only 2 total goals," while another pointed out painfully, "Shortly after the draw, Japan celebrated the 'group of death,' while South Korea cheered the 'sweet draw,' but underestimating opponents was the root cause."

In contrast, Japan has been sailing smoothly in this tournament by emphasizing "organizational strength," showing a clear contrast with South Korea. Japan, belonging to Group F, drew 2-2 with powerhouse Netherlands in the first group stage match, then secured a 4-0 victory against Tunisia in the second match. This is the record for the most goals scored in a single match in the history of Asian nations at the World Cup. In the final third match, they drew 1-1 with Sweden. As a result, Japan finished second in the group with 1 win and 2 draws (5 points), advancing to the round of 32 to face powerhouse Brazil.

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*This content was translated by AI.