Korea's 0-4 rout was immediately relayed to Mexico. Local Mexican media, which will meet Korea in the CONCACAF World Cup group stage, gave significant coverage to the result against Ivory Coast. There were continued assessments that Korea had left the worst possible signal just before the World Cup.
The South Korea national team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, suffered a 0-4 defeat in a friendly against Ivory Coast at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England, on the 28th (all times Korea time). Evan Gessan scored in the 35th minute of the first half and Simon Adingra scored in first-half stoppage time to concede consecutive goals, and in the second half Martial Godo and Wilfried Singo added goals, causing the team to collapse completely.
The early mood of the match was not bad. In the 19th minute of the first half, Oh Hyeon-gyu's shot from a scramble in the penalty area hit the post and bounced out, and in the 42nd minute of the first half, Seol Yeong-woo's right-footed shot after cutting in from the left toward the center hit the crossbar. They threatened the opponent's goal several times but ultimately failed to convert any into a score.
By contrast, Ivory Coast was much sharper. Evan Gessan opened the scoring in the 35th minute of the first half, and Simon Adingra added another goal in first-half stoppage time. Korea repeatedly ceded space on the flanks, unsettling the defensive organization, and finished the first half down 0-2.
Coach Hong Myung-bo brought on Yang Hyun-jun, Baek Seung-ho and Lee Han-beom in succession at the start of the second half in an attempt to change the momentum. He then added Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Cho Gyu-seong to increase attacking numbers.
Nevertheless, the flow of the game did not change. In the 17th minute of the second half, they conceded a third goal to Martial Godo from a set piece. In the 31st minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in's powerful shot near the penalty arc again hit the post and rebounded out.
Korea conceded an additional goal late in the match after Shin-go received a pass from Ahmad Diallo, and ultimately collapsed 0-4.
Mexico's TV Azteca harshly criticized Korea's performance. The outlet said, "Korea suffered a humiliating defeat ahead of the World Cup opener. Ivory Coast looked much more complete in both attack and defense. By contrast, Korea left major tactical questions."
It added, "The 0-4 score reflected the match itself. Korea had periods of possession, but there was no visible attacking pattern or solution to unsettle the opponent."
AS Mexico held a similar view. The outlet reported, "Korea was completely overwhelmed by Ivory Coast. The result is even more shocking given that Kim Min-jae, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in all played."
Excelsior pointed more specifically to defensive problems. The outlet analyzed, "With only 82 days left until the match against Mexico, Korea left major questions about defensive organization," and added, "Coach Hong Myung-bo maintained an unusual starting lineup for more than 60 minutes, and the holes revealed in that process are a clear warning sign for Korea."
It also explained, "Gessan, Adingra, Godo and Shin-go opened Korea's goal one after another," and "Korea also suffered some bad luck with the posts. Oh Hyeon-gyu, Seol Yeong-woo and Lee Kang-in all hit the woodwork."
Mexico is not treating this match as a simple friendly. Excelsior reported, "Mexico's national team coaching staff will analyze this match in detail next week," adding, "It has become material to confirm Korea's strengths and weaknesses."
However, it also warned of caution. Excelsior said, "Korea is a team that has shown unexpected strength in major tournaments," and added, "Coach Javier Aguirre will also surely know that he should not take Korea lightly based on this result alone."
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