Korea coach implores players to hold heads high after loss to Mexico
Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo gives instructions to his players during their Group A match against Mexico at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, Mexico, Thursday (local time). Yonhap
ZAPOPAN, Mexico — Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo praised his players for their effort following a 1-0 loss to Mexico on Thursday at the FIFA World Cup, saying they now need to shift their focus to their final group stage match instead of dwelling on the defeat.
Korea looked to be in control of the match but conceded the match's lone goal five minutes after the restart at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, western Mexico. Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu came off his line to grab a header by Raul Jimenez in the air but then crashed into the back of his own defender, Lee Gi-hyuk, on the way down. Luis Romo was in the right spot at the right time for El Tri, as he slotted home the ball that had spilled loose.
"The result is quite disappointing but the players executed their plans well overall," Hong said. "It's a shame we conceded the goal the way we did but the players gave their best effort."
Hong said he hadn't yet spoken to the team about the fateful play and he speculated that Kim and Lee had a communication breakdown.
"We expected Mexico to come out firing from the get-go and I reminded our players we can't afford to lose possession in dangerous areas. We wanted to keep the match scoreless in the opening 20 minutes and we did just that. Then we seized the control of the match," Hong said. "We still have one more match to play. We don't need to hang our heads, no matter how disappointing this outcome is."
By beating Mexico, Korea would have won Group A with one match to spare and become the first team at this year's tournament to punch a ticket to the knockouts. Mexico got to celebrate that feat in front of their home supporters instead, though Korea will still qualify for the knockout stage with either a win or a draw against South Africa in their final Group A match next Wednesday.
South Africa are last in Group A with one point. They fell to Mexico 2-0 to begin their campaign last week and played Czechia to a 1-1 draw earlier Thursday, thanks to a late penalty by Teboho Mokoena.
But Mokoena will not be eligible against Korea after picking up his second yellow card in two matches Thursday.
He is considered a key midfielder for South Africa, who will also be without midfielder Themba Zwane. Zwane was sent off during the Mexico match and was suspended by FIFA for three matches.
Hong said his players shouldn't pay much mind to any absences for their upcoming opponent.
"We can't be thinking about which key players won't play for them because it could make us feel complacent," Hong said. "I watched both of their matches so far and they have good speed. We have to be well organized against them."