South Korea bows heads after group-stage loss but vows to fight on

South Korea's national football team hung their heads after a bitter defeat in their final World Cup group-stage match Thursday — but insisted the round of 32 was not yet out of reach.

South Korea fell 1-0 to South Africa in the final Group A match at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico, on Thursday (Korean Standard Time).

The loss left South Korea with one win and two defeats — three points — dropping them to third in the group behind Mexico (nine points, three wins) and South Africa (four points, one win, one draw, one loss). They can no longer advance to the round of 32 on their own.

Midfielder Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, who played the full 90 minutes in all three group matches, met reporters after the game. "I think we were lacking a lot in quality," he said. "I think we need to reflect deeply and keep working to improve." He also offered an apology to supporters. "I want to say I'm truly sorry to all the football fans who showed us so much support," Lee said.

Defender Lee Ki-hyeok of Gangwon Province said the team had tried to contain South Africa's counterattacks but was undone by its own mistakes. "We tried to deal with South Africa's counter-attacks, but a mistake in the middle of the first half meant the game didn't go the way we wanted," he said. "After conceding, we rushed things and couldn't play more smoothly."

Lee nonetheless expressed a strong desire to reach the round of 32. "If we advance as third in the group, the players need to go into the next game with even more urgency," he said. "Opportunities like this don't come around often, so if we do advance, all the players will come together and prepare well."

Kim Min-jae started as the center back in a three-man defensive line but was substituted off in the 65th minute with a calf injury. He said the squad had already agreed to move forward. "We may or may not get to play more games, but we said among ourselves — let's only feel sorry about today until today, and since there may still be a chance to play, let's prepare well together," he said.

Kim also dismissed external excuses. "Things like the heat — I think that's just an excuse," he said. "All the players will have taken a lot away from playing on Thursday. If there's a next game, we'll have to give everything, and I believe each player will prepare accordingly."

Right wing-back Seol Young-woo of Zvezda echoed the sentiment. "It's not over yet, so we told each other to keep preparing as if there's a next game," he said.