Lee Kyung-kyu Criticizes Hong Myung-bo's Tactics After Korea's Loss to Mexico in World Cup

Comedian Lee Kyung-kyu expressed disappointment regarding coach Hong Myung-bo's tactical management following the South Korean national team's defeat against Mexico in the North American World Cup.

The South Korean national football team suffered a narrow 0-1 loss to the host nation, Mexico, in their second Group A match of the '2026 FIFA World Cup' held in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 19th. Unable to maintain the momentum from their 2-1 victory against the Czech Republic, the team now faces a decisive final group stage match against South Africa to determine whether they will advance to the Round of 32.

After the match, Lee Kyung-kyu shared his thoughts through his Chzzk channel, 'God Kyung-kyu.' He first pointed out the early substitution of Son Heung-min, expressing regret: "Coach Hong Myung-bo received a lot of praise for substituting Son Heung-min during the previous match against the Czech Republic, which led to a good result. Perhaps due to that influence, he pulled Son Heung-min out too early this time."

After Son Heung-min moved to the bench, Korea struggled to find offensive openings and appeared sluggish. An equalizer never came.

Regarding positional usage, Lee Kyung-kyu offered his own analysis: "Rather than setting Son Heung-min as a lone striker, he should have been utilized on the flanks. Son Heung-min's greatest strengths are space penetration and dribbling, but because he was fixed at the very front, he could not properly utilize his advantages."

He continued, "Simply changing players does not solve the problem. The tactics themselves should have been changed. Even though the opponent sufficiently predicted Korea's attacks, the same pattern was repeated. When the flow of the game is blocked, responses such as formation changes or modifying attacking patterns are necessary. Such elements seemed lacking in the Mexico match," criticizing the issue of player substitutions.

The South Korean national team will play their third match against South Africa at Monterrey Stadium on the 25th at 10:00 AM.