Hong Myung-bo: Paraguay Win Overcomes Brazil Psychological Blow

South Korea’s national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo, who led his side to a 2-0 friendly victory over Paraguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 14th, said, “The biggest gain was overcoming the psychological difficulties the players faced after a heavy 0-5 defeat to Brazil.”

The national team, which suffered a humiliating loss to Brazil due to poor performance on the 10th, secured a complete victory against Paraguay with Um Ji-sung’s opening goal in the 15th minute of the first half and Oh Hyeon-gyu’s additional goal in the 35th minute of the second half. Although there were unstable defensive moments, the players’ coordination and organic movement improved compared to the Brazil match.

Coach Hong explained, “We approached this October’s two consecutive matches with the mindset of simulating the World Cup main round first and second matches. After facing a strong team in the first match, we aimed to prepare how to approach the second match.” He added, “Although there were only three days to prepare after the difficult first-match defeat, the players overcame it admirably. Everyone in the team overcame physical difficulties and fear of defeat by fulfilling their roles in their respective positions.”

Son Heung-min, the team’s ace and captain, struggled somewhat, failing to take a single shot during his 45 minutes as a forward in the first half, following his poor performance against Brazil. He was substituted with Oh Hyeon-gyu at the start of the second half. Coach Hong said, “We originally planned to deploy him in the second half, but considering events commemorating his record as South Korea’s all-time leading appearance-maker in A matches, we decided to start him. We will continue to consider when and where to utilize Son Heung-min based on his physical condition.”

The national team is scheduled to play two more friendly matches at home next month. They will face Bolivia on the 14th of next month, and the opponent for the remaining match will be confirmed and announced soon. Coach Hong stated, “There are now four to six evaluation matches left until the World Cup main round. Until now, we had to test various tactics by changing players, but from November onward, we need to narrow down the scope.”