Hong Myung-bo's team with luggage vs. Iran's 'A' breaking through harsh conditions... Both eliminated teams, but evaluations differed. ESPN harshly criticized: "Shock defeat for the weakest team."

*This content was translated by AI.

Hong Myung-bo's team received a humiliating grade of 'D-' from foreign media.

Sports specialist ESPN, on the 29th (Korea time), analyzed the final results of the 32nd teams eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup and assigned the South Korean national team a grade of 'D-'.

The media pointed out that South Korea self-destructed with inexplicable mercenary tactics and poor play. "South Korea could have advanced to the Round of 32 by defeating South Africa in the final group stage match. Had they advanced, the best scenario awaited them: facing Canada, which had lost its home advantage, in Los Angeles, where many Korean expatriates reside," it explained.

It further added, "However, the coach excluded key player Son Heung-min from the starting lineup. Ultimately, South Korea was dragged around by South Africa, considered the weakest team throughout the tournament, and suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat."

ESPN cited South Korea's victory against the Czech Republic and a disappointing draw against Mexico as reasons for not giving the lowest possible grade of 'F'.

The teams that also ended up with a 'D-' grade, like South Korea, are Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, and Saudi Arabia.

In contrast, the highest grade among the eliminated teams in this evaluation was Iran, which received an 'A'. Iran was praised for finishing the tournament undefeated (three draws) despite numerous harsh conditions, including the suspension of its domestic league and forced relocation of its base camp. The small nation of Curaçao, with a population of 150,000, also received a 'B' for its strong performance against top-tier teams.

The teams that endured the humiliation of the lowest grade 'F' are Uruguay, Qatar, Tunisia, and Türkiye. Uruguay, led by coach Marcelo Bielsa, was eliminated due to a lack of tactics and goalkeeper errors, despite high pre-tournament predictions. Türkiye, which relied solely on long-range shots despite possessing top-tier prospects like Arda Güler, and Tunisia, which fired its coach during the tournament, also received the worst evaluations.

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*This content was translated by AI.