[Sportschosun Reporter Park A-ram] JTBC commentator Park Ji-sung expressed his frustration over the loss to South Africa.
The South Korea national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, lost 1-0 to South Africa in the final group-stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the 25th and failed to secure a direct place in the round of 16. With the result, South Korea finished with a goal difference of minus one and now has to wait for the remaining group-stage results.
As a JTBC commentator, Park Ji-sung delivered sharp criticism throughout the match, targeting the national team’s complacent tactics and passive approach.
He pointed out the one-dimensional attack pattern that relied too heavily on Lee Kang-in's individual ability, and he voiced deep concern that the players were not moving in sync and were simply watching the game unfold.
In particular, the national team’s conservative approach in the latter stages of the match, even after conceding, exhausted Park Ji-sung’s patience. Even in a desperate situation while trailing 1-0, the bench kept four defenders in place instead of adding more attacking players. Park Ji-sung fired back, "I can't understand why they put so many players back when they're losing," and added, "There was no tactical change at all when they needed to take a risk." Watching Cho Gue-sung isolated alone inside the penalty area, he also criticized the team’s attack as a complete mess.
By the closing minutes, even Lee Kang-in was making gestures that showed his frustration, underscoring how badly the team had lost its cohesion. Park Ji-sung directly targeted the national team's recurring problems from the first match to the third. He said, "For all three games, they only insisted on defensive football, and there was no sign of any plan for how to score in front of goal," adding, "They need to ask themselves whether they really prepared to win this match."
tokkig@sportschosun.com
