The South Korea national football team lost 0-1 to Mexico in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage. Led by manager Hong Myung-bo, the team played a well-organized game in the first half, but their concentration wavered in the second half, allowing Mexico to score the winning goal. The goal was scored by Luis Romo, who took advantage of a miscommunication between Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu and defender Lee Ki-hyeok. Despite several scoring opportunities, including a header from Cho Gyu-seong, South Korea failed to capitalize. Matt Slater, a journalist from The Athletic, criticized the team's performance, calling it 'mind-numbingly dull'. Slater singled out South Korea, saying 'What is wrong with South Korea? They have qualified for the World Cup 11 times in a row, finished the Asian qualifiers undefeated, and have a lot of good players.' However, he noted that 'South Korea's first shot on goal didn't come until the 43rd minute of the second half, and their second shot came just one second later. That was it.'