Underwhelming South Korea team leaves much to be desired before World Cup

For those who worship at the altar of "a win is a win" mantra, the men's national football team had a really good year, as they posted eight wins, three draws and two losses. Upon closer inspection, though, it's not that difficult to identify South Korea as a deeply flawed team with issues that must be addressed ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Coached by Hong Myung-bo, 22nd-ranked South Korea defeated No. 76 Bolivia 2-0 last Friday and then No. 73 Ghana 1-0 on Tuesday in their final two matches of the year. While Hong stressed the importance of results above all else — with South Korea needing to win to maintain their FIFA ranking spot and assure themselves a favorable position in the World Cup draw next month — the team's inability to beat underdog opponents convincingly did not sit well with fans. That was the recurring theme throughout the year, with South Korea consistently underperforming and failing to live up to expectations of the increasingly restless fan base. South Korea opened the year with consecutive 1-1 draws at home against two heavy underdogs, Oman and Jordan. ThesWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times