South Korean media outraged by head coach’s choice to bench Son Heung-min in World Cup defeat

Son was on the bench and only came on in the second half with almost no impact, while the team lacked attacking ideas with the new lineup and let South Africa come out on top with the only goal by Thapelo Maseko.

Hong, who made the bold decision to bench Son for the crucial game, was the center of criticism.

“The worst selection ever,” read a headline from Star News Korea. The publication criticized Hong’s for leaving the captain out of the starting lineup, as well as his tactical approach that didn’t work.

“A completely unreasonable tactical display from coach Hong Myung-bo, who is perhaps the weakest link in the team,” Star News Korea commented.

The outlet pointed out that by dropping Son and opting for Hwang Hee-chan and Oh Hyeon-gyu as the central attackers, the team failed to produce any relevant offensive threat in the early stages of the match.

While Hong did bring Son on at the start of the second half, critics felt the tactical setup left the captain completely isolated and surrounded by defenders.

Newsis highlighted international reactions to Hong’s tactical decision. The outlet noted that Western media were baffled by it, quoting The Athletic‘s questioning of whether this was the biggest mistake of the tournament.

Other domestic publications didn’t hold back. Dailian wrote: “Leaving Son on the bench was definitely a disastrous mistake.”

While Hong faced the heat from the media, the players, including the captain himself, did not escape the backlash.

“Son Heung-min was a complete disappointment,” Sports News Nate wrote.

Newsis elaborated on the superstar’s struggles, noting that he completely failed to make an impact as a center forward.

Despite showing energy and determination, his actual output in the match was zero, it said.

The criticism towards Son had been building from previous matches. Although the media and fans have shown some sympathy regarding his age, some opinions from the South Korean press suggest he may no longer be the right fit to wear the captain’s armband.

With this defeat against South Africa, South Korea dropped to third in Group A and will have to wait for the results of other groups to learn their fate.