"What Was That? A Goalkeeper-Defender Collision Disaster"... Hong Myung-bo's Team, Which Threw Five Attackers Forward, Falls 1-0 to Mexico

[Financial News] Korea overcame the boos and the relentless home-field pressure, but one absurd mistake decided the match. After a disastrous mix-up in the defense handed Mexico the opening goal, Hong Myung-bo's team threw every available attacking option into the game and fought desperately, but it could not find the net.
The South Korea national team, led by Hong Myung-bo, lost 1-0 to Mexico in the Group A second-round match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Guadalajara Stadium at 10 a.m. on the 19th Korea time. With the result, Mexico secured first place in the group with two straight wins, while Korea now faces the task of clinching a place in the round of 16 in its third match against South Africa.
The first half went better than expected. Korea held firm despite the 40,000-strong crowd's one-sided boos and what appeared to be questionable biased officiating by Uruguayan referee Gustavo Tejera. In particular, center back Lee Han-beom, born in 2002, completely shut down Mexico's ace Julián Quiñones in the air and on the ground. Around the 40-minute mark, Korea began to turn the tide with precise buildup from the back, tiki-taka passing, and a single long ball that opened up space behind the defense, even reversing possession and unsettling Mexico.

But the tragedy arrived as soon as the second half began. In the fifth minute, a major blunder occurred while dealing with a routine ball rolling into Korea's half. Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu and defender Lee Ki-hyuk collided hard while trying to clear it, dropping the ball. Luis Romo intercepted it and tapped into an empty net, gifting Mexico a shockingly careless opening goal.
Once Korea fell behind, Hong Myung-bo immediately made a series of bold moves. In the 12th minute of the second half, right after conceding, he took the gamble of pulling off Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung and sending on Oh Hyeon-gyu and Hwang Hee-chan.
Hong's determination to equalize peaked in the middle of the second half with an extreme all-out attack. Right after the water break in the 67th minute, he removed both wing-backs, Seol Young-woo and Kim Moon-hwan, and brought on attacking wingers Um Ji-sung and Yang Hyun-jun. In the 77th minute, he also took off midfielder Paik Seung-ho and pushed Cho Gue-sung up front. It was an unprecedented full-scale assault, with as many as five attackers on the pitch.


Mexico, rattled, took off all of its attacking players, including Raúl Jiménez and Quiñones, and switched to a five-man back line, effectively going into full defense mode. Korea kept pressing. In the 86th minute, Cho Gue-sung's decisive header and the follow-up shot were denied by a stunning save from Mexico goalkeeper Rangel, and in the 91st minute, Lee Han-beom's header also narrowly missed the target.
The most infuriating moment came in the 92nd minute, just before the final whistle. Lee Kang-in delivered a sharp cross, and as Cho Gue-sung headed the ball, it clearly struck a Mexican defender's hand, but the referee never blew the whistle. VAR was not even used, making it a blatant home call.
In the end, Korea could not break through Mexico's two lines of defense during the remaining two minutes of stoppage time and had to accept a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat. One mistake, along with the referee's blatant indifference, left a wound that was painfully deep over 90 minutes.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter