“We didn’t play as well as we wanted in the first half, and we couldn’t capitalise on our chances in the second half.”
South Korea have qualified for the last 10 editions of the World Cup finals and many fans had been hoping for the appointment of a new foreign coach of the calibre of Guus Hiddink, who led the Taeguk Warriors to the semi-finals in 2002.
Hong, the captain of that 2002 team and one of the standout players of the whole tournament, still has time to turn the qualifying campaign around, of course, starting with the second Group B fixture against Oman in Muscat next Tuesday.
“We’ll have to go back to the drawing board tomorrow and start our tactical preparation for the next match,” Hong added.
The coach also received support from Son, who said it was upsetting to hear the fans jeering Hong.
“I can’t speak for those fans. I think they had a coach they wanted,” Son said. “But we can’t change this decision. The coach is already in place. As captain of this team, I’d like to ask our fans for their love and support.”
