MONTERREY, Mexico -- Despite their most-recent 1-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico, South Korea are still in a decent position to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A come-from-behind 2-1 win over Czechia on the opening day of the tournament is now proving crucial as it saw them bank three very important points early on.
The Taegeuk Warriors now head into their final Group A tie on Wednesday knowing a draw would be enough to secure them a second-place finish and a guaranteed spot in the last 32. Even if Czechia beat Mexico -- who have already sealed top spot -- to also finish on four points, South Korea cannot slip below them given their superior head-to-head record.
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There is room for a bit of error for the South Koreans but, for a number of reasons, it is imperative that they still go all out for the win against South Africa rather than look to settle for a draw.
First and foremost, sitting back is far from the wisest option given it will leave them vulnerable to being hit by a sucker punch. South Africa certainly did that in their 1-1 draw with Czechia, when an 83rd-minute penalty from Teboho Mokoena helped them snatch a point and keep alive their own slim hopes of progressing.
Secondly, teams that scrape through to the knockout rounds do not often go much further after. Almost always, it hands them a tougher draw and far more formidable opposition.
In South Korea's case, progressing in third place would see them face the winners of Group E or G. Germany have already sewn up first place in Group E and, while Egypt currently lead Group G, the thus-far underwhelming Belgium are still lurking and could still make a late push for top spot.
However, perhaps most importantly, South Korea simply need a statement performance for the sake of their own confidence.
In what looked to be a fairly-even group prior to the start of the World Cup, South Korea did very well to open with a victory over the Czechs but were then slightly disappointing against Mexico.
They did come close to scoring when Son Heung-Min had a clever effort cleared off the line -- although any goal would have eventually been ruled out for offside -- while Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel made a crucial stop right at the death to deny the South Koreans a point.
Nonetheless, Mexico by far looked the more threatening of the two sides even if the Taegeuk Warriors did edge the possession stakes. Were it not for three outstandings saves by goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu -- who more than atoned for his error that gifted the Mexicans the only goal of the game -- South Korea might have even lost by more.
South Korea can ill afford to disrespect the plucky South Africans. Yet, it there is a difference between avoiding underestimating the opposition and showing them too much respect. If South Korea do believe they are a side that can reach the round of 32 of this World Cup, or even the last 16 or quarterfinals, then they must have the belief that they can convincingly dispatch a team like South Africa -- and show it on the pitch.
They will also need to find a way to get more out of talismanic captain Son, who has thus far been deployed in a No. 9 role that is far from his natural position.
Understandably, South Korea coach Hong Myung-Bo's switch to a 3-4-3 system, and the fact that he is determined to also keep Lee Kang-In and Lee Jae-Sung in his starting XI, means that Son has had to play as the spearhead.
While it is a role he has done for Tottenham in the past and currently with LAFC, it does feel like he can still be a creative influence at international level. His 21 touches before being substituted before the hour mark against Mexico was less of a sign that his powers are waning, and more due to him being in a position where he just struggled to get involved.
Could Lee Jae-Sung be defense-minded enough to drop back into the engine room alongside Hwang In-Beom? Son could then be fielded alongside Lee Kang-In as the two No. 10s -- and it would pave the way for an out-and-out striker like Oh Hyeon-Gyu or Cho Gue-Sung to lead the line.
Son has proved throughout his career that he excels best when feeding off a target man, who will be the opposition defense's primary cause for concern and allow more space for the South Korea skipper to work with and exploit.
Getting maximum output from Son could just be the key to victory. And even though South Korea only need a draw on Wednesday, they should be going all out for the win.