South Korea made a decision Wednesday that may haunt them for years. Coach Hong Myung-Bo benched Son Heung-min for the first time in the captain’s national team career, and the result was a 1-0 loss to South Africa that puts the Taeguk Warriors’ World Cup hopes on life support.
Son didn’t start. That was the story before kickoff. The all-time caps leader and second-leading scorer in South Korea history watched from the bench as his team played to a scoreless first half against a South African side that had never even made the knockout stage. Hong finally brought Son on at halftime, but by then the rhythm was gone. Thapelo Maseko scored in the 63rd minute, and South Africa held on for a historic win that clinched their first-ever spot in the Round of 32.
Hong took full responsibility after the match, but his explanation didn’t exactly satisfy anyone who watched the game.
“In terms of the process and preparing for this game, and how we would play on the field, that is something I put much thought into. Of course, if we knew what the result was going to be, I probably would have made different choices,” Hong said. “But I had a strategy in mind. Whenever such a bad result happens, everyone has their own opinion. The result is really the responsibility of the head coach. Ultimately, it comes down to my hands. I guess I made the wrong decisions and that was the reason we had a bad result. Nothing more, nothing less.”
The logic, according to Hong, was that Son would be more effective against tired legs. Wait until the South African defense lost some energy, then let your best player exploit the gaps. It sounds reasonable in theory. In practice, it meant South Korea spent 45 minutes without their most dangerous weapon, and by the time Son hit the field, South Africa had found belief.
“We thought that Son would be better placed when the opponents were losing their energy, not when they had a lot of energy,” Hong added. “And when there were more spaces to exploit between the opponents’ defensive line, that’s when we wanted Son to be at his strongest — when the opponents were a bit weaker.”
South Korea came into this World Cup as one of the favorites in Group A. Mexico had already locked up a spot in the knockout stage. This was the game to grab the other one. Instead, South Africa will face Canada in the Round of 32, while South Korea waits to see if they sneak in as one of the best third-place teams. Eight of those still advance, so it’s not over. But it’s close.
Son has carried this team for years. When he’s on the bench, even for 45 minutes, the message is clear: something is off. And now South Korea might pay for it with an early flight home.
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