After South Korea's national soccer team suffered a defeat to South Africa in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, Seol Young-woo shared his thoughts on the match.
In the mixed zone after the game on June 25, Seol acknowledged, "It’s true that all the players are down," but emphasized, "It’s not over yet, so let’s prepare with the mindset of playing the next match." He added, "I will recover mentally and physically and wait for the next opportunity."
He further stated, "We lost because we didn’t perform well. If we had not conceded any goals as defenders, we could have advanced with a draw. I feel a sense of responsibility for that."
When asked if the heat was a factor, he replied, "It wasn’t just us who were hot; the opponent faced the same conditions, so that cannot be an excuse."
Seol expressed, "I believe all players wanted to secure points and advance comfortably. Unfortunately, the results didn’t follow, and I feel sorry for the many fans who supported us but didn’t get a good outcome."
Meanwhile, under the guidance of coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea faced a shocking 1-0 defeat against South Africa in their third group stage match at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico.
On that day, Seol played as a right wing-back and completed the full match, but was unable to prevent the team’s loss.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.