Star \u2018in bits\u2019 as fresh Popa selection shocks loom<\/a><\/b><\/p>\nExpectations back home were low coming into the World Cup, with fans unimpressed by Hong and ill-feeling towards the Korea Football Association. <\/p>\n
Despite a stellar playing career Hong\u2019s many detractors pointed out that during his first stint as coach South Korea exited the 2014 World Cup winless in the group stage. <\/p>\n
He is accused of muddled tactics and failing to get the most out of a squad that includes Paris Saint-Germain playmaker LeeKang-in, Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom. <\/p>\n
According to Yonhap, there was a flashpoint involving Hwang and the celebrating South Africa players after the game when he told them to \u201cshow some manners\u201d. <\/p>\n
Son, dropped for a World Cup match for the first time, said: \u201cI feel sorry to my teammates that I didn\u2019t give them much help on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
At what will surely be his last World Cup, Son is on a downward trajectory – hardly a surprise for a player who turns 34 next month. <\/p>\n
South Korea\u2019s World Cup has been tinged by a sense of disharmony. A standoff ensued between the players and South Korean media after members of the press were overheard appearing to mock Son\u2019s military record. <\/p>\n
Almost all able-bodied men in South Korea are obliged to serve in the military for at least 18 months, but that can be changed in certain circumstances. <\/p>\n
Former Tottenham attacker Son, who now plays for Los Angeles FC, was able to fulfil his obligations with three weeks\u2019 basic training and around 500 hours of community service. <\/p>\n
After the comments came to light, the South Korea squad reportedly boycotted interviews with the domestic press.<\/p>\n
Then, before the defeat to Mexico, a drone was spotted flying over South Korea\u2019s training session, prompting fears of spying.<\/p>\n
The drone was reportedly brought down by Mexico\u2019s military using radio signals.<\/p>\n
\u201cFortunately it was right before we practised our tactics, so it did not impact us significantly,\u201d said Hong. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut, while we were preparing for the match, that was the most important timing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Heung-Min Son of Korea Republic. Photo by Luke Hales\/Getty Images<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCZECH STAR RETIRES AFTER ELIMINATION<\/b><\/p>\n
Czech striker Patrik Schick said his international career was over on Thursday, hours after the Czech Republic bowed out of the World Cup with a 3-0 loss to Mexico. <\/p>\n
The 30-year-old Leverkusen forward played all three games for the Czechs at the tournament and did not score as the team earned a single point for a draw with South Africa in Group A. <\/p>\n
The injury-prone Schick has scored 26 goals in 56 games for the national team since his 2016 debut.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy international career has come to a close today,\u201d Schick wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis decision is not impulsive and did not emerge out of nowhere. It is an idea I have been nursing and contemplating for a long time,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Schick started his career at Sparta Prague and played for Sampdoria, AS Roma and Leipzig before joining Leverkusen in 2020.<\/p>\n
He made a mark at Euro 2020, becoming the tournament\u2019s top scorer with five goals alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n
His second goal against Scotland at the tournament, a curling lob from 50 metres that caught goalkeeper David Marshall way out of his goal, made Euro history. <\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\nMexico beats Czechia to top group A | 03:32<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\u201cI am leaving proud of what I have achieved in the Czech Republic shirt, but also feeling that Czech football can do MUCH MUCH better than it has shown in recent years,\u201d Schick said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to face the truth and change a number of things that don\u2019t work,\u201d he added, joining a chorus of critics after the Czech Republic\u2019s speedy World Cup exit. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying this out of anger or frustration. I\u2019m saying this because I care about Czech football,\u201d said Schick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s World Cup campaign has been nothing short of bizarre. There was a row with the media, a drone buzzing a crucial training session and then captain Son Heung-min dropped by a deeply unpopular coach in a gamble that backfired. Now South Korea are sweating on their place in the World Cup knockout rounds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":250110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-250109","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}