Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo reacts to a play during his team's Group A match against South Africa at the FIFA World Cup at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico, June 24. Yonhap
GUADALUPE, Mexico — Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo blamed himself and nobody else in the aftermath of a 1-0 loss to South Africa on Wednesday to close out the group stage at the FIFA World Cup.
A win or a draw at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, northeastern Mexico, would have sent the Taegeuk Warriors into the round of 32 as the runner-up in their group. Instead, Korea finished third in Group A with three points from a win and two losses, as they were unable to respond to Thapelo Maseko's goal in the 63rd minute. Korea must now wait for the rest of the groups to finish play to see where they end up in the rankings of third-place teams.
In addition to the top two teams from each of 12 groups, the eight best third-place teams will progress to the knockout round. With Groups A, B and C having finished their group stage, Korea are fourth among No. 3 teams, though four nations have already bagged three points with one match remaining.
"On a stage as big as this, the head coach is responsible for all the results," Hong said at his postmatch press conference. "Ultimately, I made wrong decisions that led to this outcome. There's nothing more, nothing less to it."
