On June 23, according to Yonhap News, Lee spoke with reporters at Estadio Universitario in San Nicolás, Nuevo León, Mexico, where the national team is training. He stated, "I feel we are becoming more solid defensively after playing against the Czech Republic and Mexico. If we prepare well for South Africa, I believe we can defend against them effectively."
Lee received praise for successfully containing Mexican forward Julián Quiñones during their second match. He remarked, "I wasn't overly focused on Quiñones. I think my performance was good because I prepared well with my teammates. (Kim) Min-jae told me not to worry about the back and just focus on marking Quiñones, which allowed me to play comfortably."
Reflecting on the goal conceded during the Mexico match, Lee said, "All players need to ensure that such situations do not occur. When Seung-kyu came out, I was inside the goal area, and I regret that if I had been better prepared, I could have prevented it. I will work hard to avoid such scenarios in the future."
He added, "South Africa has strong individual skills and speed. Their goalkeeper has a good kick, and their build-up play is impressive. If we prepare our defensive organization well, I believe we can manage them effectively. If we are cautious about the space behind us, we can perform well."
Lee emphasized, "The players have no thoughts of drawing; we are solely focused on winning. Our goal is to win and bring happiness to the nation by achieving a higher position. We want to show good results and content."
Meanwhile, Hong Myung-bo's team will face South Africa in their final group stage match on June 25 at 10 a.m. at the Estadio Monterrey in Mexico.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.