South Korea's World Cup campaign has been thrown into uncertainty after a disappointing 1-0 defeat left the Taegeuk Warriors relying on results elsewhere to keep their knockout hopes alive.

Following the match, head coach Hong Myung-bo defended one of his biggest tactical decisions of the tournament—leaving captain Son Heung-min on the bench until halftime.

Why Son Didn't Start

The absence of South Korea's biggest star from the starting lineup surprised many supporters.

However, Hong revealed the move was part of a carefully planned strategy.

The coaching staff expected the opposition to begin the match with high intensity and believed Son's pace and creativity would be more effective later, once spaces started to appear.

"Our idea was to use Son when the opponents began to lose energy," Hong explained.

"We believed there would be more room for him to attack and create chances during the second half."

Son replaced Hwang Hee-chan after the break, but despite his introduction, South Korea were unable to change the course of the match.

Midfield Struggles Prove Costly

While much of the attention focused on Son's late introduction, Hong admitted the real problem lay elsewhere.

According to the South Korean manager, his team lost control of the midfield far too easily, allowing the opposition to dictate the rhythm of the game.

"We prepared well," Hong said.

"But compared to our previous matches, we made far too many mistakes in midfield."

Those errors gradually drained the players' confidence.

"We knew exactly how we wanted to play," he continued.

"Unfortunately, we simply didn't execute our plan well enough."

The coach did not hide his disappointment.

"Today's performance was not good enough."

Waiting for Other Results

The defeat leaves South Korea in third place in Group A with three points from three matches.

Their fate is no longer entirely in their own hands.

Now, the Taegeuk Warriors must wait and hope that results in other groups work in their favour to secure one of the remaining places in the Round of 32.

It's an uncomfortable position for a nation that arrived at the tournament with ambitions of progressing comfortably.

Hope Still Remains

Although qualification is now uncertain, South Korea's World Cup journey is not over.

The squad still has a chance to advance, provided other results fall their way.

For Hong Myung-bo and his players, the only option now is to remain patient, stay united and hope their campaign receives one final lifeline.

The next 24 hours could determine whether South Korea's World Cup dream continues—or comes to a heartbreaking end.