.jpg)
1 hour ago
2
South Korea came to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with eyes on a run through the knockout rounds.
Now, barring some great luck, the Korean squad won't even make it out of Group A.
They were stunned by South Africa on Wednesday night, a 1-0 win for a side that clinched advancement to the knockout stage for the first time.
It was a shockingly poor effort from the South Korean team, which didn't even show great urgency in the closing stages.
They just couldn't find an answer, couldn't find a breakthrough, nothing.
MORE: With Messi, history and magic go hand in hand
They had opened their World Cup in promising fashion, a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Czechia.
But then a defeat to Mexico, and this loss to South Africa, ruined the party for the South Koreans.
They had even left Son Heung-min on the bench until a substitution on Wednesday, a move that was hard to explain.
Afterward, though, their head coach was asked a different question. A journalist wondered if the team had food poisoning because of how poorly they'd played:
In the post-match press conference, a Korean journalist asked Hong Myung-bo if the squad had food poisoning because otherwise this performance makes zero sense. pic.twitter.com/BHNPAKyw2O
— Korea Football News (@KORFootballNews) June 25, 2026MORE: Cape Verde captures the magic of sports
That's how poorly they played, at least in the eyes of some. There had to be some kind of legitimate medical explanation, through that point of view.
In reality, the South Korean team simply hadn't been good enough.
But man, it's brutal that someone thought to ask that. It sums up how disappointing this tournament appears to have been for South Korea.
English (US)