I watched the game thinking, "How could we lose to South Africa when we even beat the Czech Republic?" But my blood pressure just kept rising as I watched it, haha.

The result was a 0-1 loss for Korea against South Africa.

The frustrating part is that we didn't lose because the opposing team was strong.

We simply~~ played terribly.

It felt like déjà vu from the last match against Mexico... No, looking at the game, we couldn't even take proper shots, and the player selections were a mess, which made it even more infuriating.

It was strange from the start of the match.

We kept passing the ball, but there were hardly any threatening moments.

We had 68% possession, yet we lacked both effective shots and decisive chances.

Soccer isn't a sport where you score points based on possession like basketball; it's about scoring goals...

What was even more frustrating was the game management. Coach Hong Myung-bo didn't start Son Heung-min.

However, even after bringing Son in at the start of the second half as a gamble, we couldn't change the flow of the game at all.

The opponent didn't drop back in defense out of fear of our reputation; rather, South Africa grew more confident in their attacks as time went on.

The 18th-minute goal we conceded was partly due to a great shot from Tefelo Masekela, but we gave away space too easily.

Throughout the match, I couldn't shake this thought from my mind.

'Look at our players.' We have players like Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Hwang In-beom, and Kim Min-jae, all active in top European leagues.

From the coach's perspective, he has one of the best 'golden generations' in the history of Korean soccer.

On the other hand, honestly, if you're not a core soccer fan, you probably wouldn't know the names of South Africa's players.

Most fans probably hadn't even heard of Tefelo Masekela or Chepang Moremi before the match. Yet, based on the game, it was hard to tell who the stronger team was.

What was even more infuriating was the frustrating management that seemed to suggest that just not losing would be a blessing.

The World Cup isn't a stage for calculating probabilities or just getting by.

If you're a strong team, you should dominate the game from the start and secure the win. Instead, we just played cautiously and ultimately crumbled under a counterattack.

Of course, I don't want to place all the blame on the players. They were just following orders.

Ultimately, it falls on the coach for showing a colorless strategy and lackluster game management. The saying "soccer is a coach's game" didn't come from nowhere.

The most disappointing part of this match was that we didn't see 'the soccer we want to play' at all.

The flanks were frustrating, central penetration was nonexistent, and even set pieces were not threatening. We just wasted time passing sideways without any purpose.

The brutal history of struggling against African teams in the World Cup continues. With this loss, our all-time World Cup record against African teams remains at just one win, and we repeated the pattern of falling behind after conceding the first goal. It's time to stop hiding behind the excuse of a 'jinx' and acknowledge the clear 'lack of preparation.'

But what can we do as soccer fans? Even after venting our frustrations, we'll probably be sitting in front of the TV again on the next game day.

However, I want to make sure to address this match.

Coach Hong Myung-bo, I no longer want to see our best golden generation suffer a tactical defeat against players whose names are unfamiliar.

The World Cup is not a stage for calculations; it's a stage for winning.

Tonight, I can't help but exclaim, "Ugh!"