South Korea on Brink After Coach's Catastrophic Son Gamble
Hong Myung-Bo's stunning decision to bench captain Son Heung-Min backfires, putting a nation's World Cup dream in peril and sparking outrage.
South Korea's World Cup campaign is on the brink of a catastrophic early exit after head coach Hong Myung-Bo's staggering gamble to bench captain and talisman Son Heung-Min backfired in a crucial Group A decider against South Africa. The decision marked the first time since 2010 that Son did not start a World Cup match, stripping the team of its primary attacking threat and leader in a must-win scenario. The tactical reshuffle failed to produce a victory, leaving South Korea's fate dangling and dependent on other results to have any hope of advancing to the knockout stages.
