Shocking home ground draw, Hong Myung-bo is responsible for bending his head down
Mar 25, 2025
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On the same day, Group B's eighth match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Jordan was held. The 41,532 spectators cheered for Hong with a large card section. The phrase 'KOREA' was clearly displayed under '11th', which means going to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time. Despite the shock of the draw against Oman, fans' eyes were still on Hong Myung-bo's trip to North Korea and China.
But the result was the opposite of this wish. Hong Myung-bo failed to stand in front of the door to North and Central America again, with a 1-1 draw with Jordan. The draw will determine the fate of Korean soccer to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time in June (Iraq and Kuwait).
Coach Hong Myung-bo's face was stiff when he entered the press conference after the game. After the match against Jordan, which was prepared to change after the draw against Oman, he failed to make good use of the flow in the early stages and gave up an equalizer, but eventually failed to make up for it and received the report card of the draw. The sigh that swirled around the ground weighed on him.
The following is director Hong Myung-bo's press conference.
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▶ It has been a draw for the last three games in a row. It's all my responsibility. I'm sorry to the fans. However, the players believe that they prepared well for a short time showed up in today's game. I talked with the players about what I lacked after the last match against Oman. I think I supplemented that part at the stadium. Of course, I'm sorry I didn't win, but the players did their best. In particular, Lee Tae-seok marked his opponent's No. 10 (Musa Altamari) well. I think Hwang In-beom also coordinated the game well. Sometimes mistakes were made, but overall, the players did not do much wrong in terms of organization.
-Although he is undefeated in the third qualifying round, he has one win and three draws at home. The reason why the home performance is not good.
▶I got a good result in the expedition. Today's performance wasn't bad, but he hasn't been able to produce results at home. It is difficult to conclude the exact reason, but there were aspects such as the burden of home games and the problem of concentration. Condition issues cannot be overlooked. I think we have no choice but to improve and develop in the future.
-What is 'Something I can't concentrate on at home.
▶I mean I don't know exactly that. Players have difficulties in terms of condition after returning from Europe, and that seems to be the overall factor.
-He said he communicated with his team about Hwang In-beom's playing time, but he played for quite a long time.
▶We kept communicating. He planned for more than 70 minutes, but he said he could play more. There was a request for replacement timing.
-Park Yong-woo made a fatal mistake. In addition to Hwang In-beom and Baek Seung-ho, there is a part that you have in mind for change.
▶I think it's important to find an alternative player like that. They are constantly watching the site, but they have not yet found a replacement. Park Yong-woo made a mistake today, but it's too much to talk about that one thing. I think it's the best combination in a situation where you train a day or two, such as balance and combination. Of course, it is also important to find new players for the future. Although Park Yong-woo made a mistake, I don't think there is a big problem in terms of combination.
-There was a lot of talk that the third qualifying round was followed by great luck. If you evaluate your journey so far.
▶I'm sorry that I didn't meet the fans' expectations. Of course, I'm sorry that I didn't win the home game. However, from the overall perspective, even though one or two games should have been won sufficiently, the players are doing their best otherwise. It is regrettable that it did not bring results at home, although it brought good results in the difficult Middle East away game, which was first pointed out.
-The reason why the flow fell to Jordan while leading the way in the beginning. How did you see the referee's decision.
▶I've talked to the players about the decision since the last game, but it's unpredictable. I said let's play without caring about the referee. It was also revealed that he paid attention to that. I may be annoyed from the standpoint of playing, but I think I should play without thinking. The game went well according to the concept prepared from the beginning. The set piece was good, too. After a mid-run, the flow went over to Jordan. I had to hold out in the lost time zone, but I couldn't. But I don't think Jordan led more time than we did.
-Following the match against Oman, he failed to break the dense defense in the match against Jordan.
▶There is definitely a way to break the dense defense. But it takes time. I think it's a little better than the first game. The 2-1 pass on the side and the penetration of space improved compared to the match against Oman. However, I had to finish inside, but I couldn't score because that part didn't go well. As a result, it is the responsibility of the director. I think I've seen enough positives from today's game.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
