Tokyo Olympic football team coach Kim Hak-beom is deep in thought at the official press conference held at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium on the 21st, one day before the first group match against New Zealand. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] The national soccer team’s loss in the first match of the Tokyo Olympics has raised red flags for advancing to the quarterfinals. Head coach Kim Hak-beom bowed his head.
Our national team lost 0-1 to New Zealand in the first match of Group B in the men’s soccer tournament at the Tokyo Olympics, held on the 22nd at Kashima Stadium in Japan. Although Korea controlled the game, they conceded a goal to New Zealand forward Wood in the 25th minute of the second half and ultimately failed to equalize.
After the match, Coach Kim spoke with a stern expression. He said, "I am sorry for showing a disappointing performance. I wanted to give you a fresher and better feeling, but we became the sacrifice." Regarding this match, he assessed, "There was nothing that went well," and added, "I instructed the players to attempt through passes when the center opened up, but that part was the worst."
Coach Kim expressed regret, saying, "(In the locker room before the match) I told the players, 'This is the beginning. Let’s announce the start of history.' I said it was a process of changing history," but added, "However, since it was the first match, the players were very tense." Nevertheless, Coach Kim showed determination, saying, "There are two more matches left. If we prepare well for the two matches, I believe we can advance to the quarterfinals. We will prepare well for the matches against Romania and Honduras and win to definitely reach the quarterfinals."
Meanwhile, after suffering the first shocking defeat, Korea will play its second group stage match against Romania on the 25th.
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