MONTERREY, Mexico — South Korea needed merely to avoid a loss against South Africa on Wednesday to advance to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A draw would also secure them a second-place finish, setting up a round of 32 match against Canada in Los Angeles on June 28.
It certainly did not seem like a high-stakes scenario that would warrant drastic measures. Yet, South Korea’s coach, Hong Myung-Bo, made a surprising decision by leaving out their captain, Son Heung-Min, from the starting lineup.
As the match unfolded, the ramifications of this bold decision became apparent, and they were far from favorable for South Korea. A stunning 1-0 defeat to Bafana Bafana pushed them to third place in the group, leaving them waiting until Saturday to see if they might still progress as one of the best-performing third-place teams.
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Hong must have had his rationale for such a significant choice. Ultimately, it’s within a coach’s rights to make tough decisions, especially when it comes to team dynamics.
However, the decision to leave out a national icon like Son, who enjoys near-worship status in South Korea, carries substantial risk. Whoever made that call would undoubtedly hope for validation, which did not arrive for Hong on this occasion. The aftermath remains unclear, especially regarding any potential fallout, even if South Korea manages to progress.
Fans in the stadium made their feelings known before the match had even started. A loud cheer erupted when Son appeared on the big screen during warmups, suggesting that some supporters were still unaware of his exclusion from the lineup.
However, once the starting XI was announced and Son’s name was missing, the crowd directed their discontent towards Hong as soon as his face appeared on the screen.
This marked the first time since the 2010 World Cup, before Son had even made his international debut, that South Korea played a World Cup match without him in the starting lineup, ending a remarkable streak of 12 consecutive starts.
South Korea did begin the match brightly without their star player, as they nearly scored in just the second minute when stand-in captain Kim Min-Jae connected with a corner from Lee Kang-In, only for South Africa’s Aubrey Modiba to clear it off the line.
Just six minutes later, they posed another threat when Lee Kang-In capitalized on a mishit shot by Lee Tae-Seok, firing a shot just wide of the goal.
As the first half progressed, though, South Africa began to find their rhythm and looked increasingly capable of breaking the deadlock, despite South Korea dominating possession. Notably, Thapelo Maseko was particularly lively on the right wing, and in the 19th minute, he came close to scoring, but Lee Gi-Hyuk made a crucial block to deny him.
South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu was called into action for a vital double save in the 30th minute, first parrying a distance shot from Thalente Mbatha and then smothering a follow-up attempt from close range, although it appeared Evidence Makgopa might have been offside.
The first significant cheer from South Korean fans since the match began erupted when Son came onto the field for the second half.
Nevertheless, Maseko maintained a threatening presence as he continued to create opportunities. In the 51st minute, Lee Han-Beom had to step up with an important block just before a South African forward could challenge Kim Seung-Gyu.
Warning signals were evident, yet South Korea failed to respond adequately.
Then, just three minutes after the hour mark, South Africa broke through with a well-earned goal.
Moments after entering the match as a substitute, Tshepang Moremi made a swift run down the left, skillfully cut inside, and delivered a precise pass across the area for none other than Maseko, who, with one touch to set himself up, fired a low shot beyond Kim Seung-Gyu’s desperate dive.
This goal would prove to be pivotal in what had been a tightly contested match.
In an effort to salvage the situation, Hong brought on more substitutes and even adjusted the formation, replacing Kim Min-Jae with Park Jin-Seob to strengthen the midfield, allowing playmaker Hwang In-Beom to push further forward. Wingbacks Seol Young-Woo and Jens Castrop were also effectively transformed into wingers.
Despite the numerous crosses into the box, South Korea struggled to penetrate a solid South African defense.
In the end, Bafana Bafana secured a well-deserved victory.
While it’s easy to critique after the fact, even Son couldn’t spark the needed creativity in the second half. Perhaps the outcome would have been different had Hong started him. Regardless, the gamble he took regarding South Korea’s round of 32 ambitions did not just fail — it spectacularly backfired.