Park criticises South Korea after loss to South Africa, warns of 2014 repeat

BENGALURU: Former South Korea midfielder Park Ji-sung criticised the team’s performance in Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by South Africa at the World Cup, and drew comparisons with their disappointing 2014 campaign that saw them exit in the group phase.

The Koreans, who started with captain Son Heung-min on the bench, still have a chance of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams but Park did not hold out much hope for them going deep into the tournament.

“We need to reflect on whether this was overall a game we tried to win,” Park said during TV commentary.

“There was no visible plan for how to attack. This problem has been the same throughout this World Cup. It seems there were clearly some areas that were neglected during the preparation process.”

South Korea opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over Czech Republic but failed to score in defeats by Mexico and South Africa. The uninspiring performances reminded Park of 2014, where they were knocked out in the group stage after a draw and two losses.

“We had plenty of time to reflect on what went wrong at the 2014 World Cup,” said Park, who was a key figure in their run to the 2002 semi-finals on home soil.

“But this time again, the preparation process and the results look like a repeat of that time.

“Even if the possibility of reaching the round of 32 still remains, I am not confident that we can show a good performance on that stage with the current level of play.”