Hong’s Son call leaves South Korea waiting on World Cup fate

South Korea are not out of the World Cup yet, but their 1-0 defeat to South Africa has left their place in the knockout stage uncertain. Coach Hong Myung-Bo’s decision to start without captain Son Heung-Min became the central talking point after South Africa climbed to second in Group A and advanced.

According to the source report, it was the first time since 2010 that Son had not begun a World Cup match. Hong’s stated idea was to use him later, when South Africa might offer more space, but the plan did not produce the needed result.

Hong accepted responsibility afterward, acknowledging that different choices might have been made with hindsight. South Korean media questioning focused heavily on the selection, with criticism aimed at both the result and the reshuffled lineup.

For South Korea, the immediate issue is now tournament arithmetic rather than tactical debate: they must wait for the rest of the group stage to know whether they qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. For editors and fans, the bigger discussion is whether benching a captain in a decisive match can ever be justified when the margin for error is so small.