By Michael Church
June 28 (Reuters) - South Korea's agonising wait to learn their World Cup knockout round fate ended in dejection on Saturday as results went against Hong Myung-bo's team, their three-point haul from Group A not enough to secure one of the berths in the last 32.
It was an ignominious end to a fractured campaign that has seen the country fall out of love with the one-time national team captain and icon, who more than two decades ago led South Korea to their finest achievement.
Hong,
who resigned as head coach on Sunday, was captain of the side that defied the odds to reach the World Cup semi-finals on home soil in 2002, swept up by a wave of patriotism that saw the Taeguk Warriors defeat Portugal, Poland, Italy and Spain on their way to the last four.
That run prompted an ever-more euphoric reaction on the streets of Seoul and beyond but the mood in the nation has long since soured towards the former defender and it is now at an all-time low.
In his first stint as coach, Hong was pelted with candy -- seen as a deeply offensive insult -- upon his return to South Korea from the 2014 World Cup when his young and promising squad were eliminated in the group phase.
He can expect similar, or worse, following this performance after the Koreans wasted a winning start against Czech Republic as their campaign fizzled out with losses against Mexico and South Africa.
President Lee Jae-myung has already launched a broadside against Hong and the Korea Football Association while fans have again voiced their anger at those running the game in the country.
Hong's return to the job as the long-term replacement for Juergen Klinsmann in July 2024 was a controversial move despite the 57-year-old having rehabilitated his coaching reputation by winning back-to-back K-League titles with Ulsan Hyundai.
His team laboured during qualifying but with a squad featuring the likes of Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae, expectations were high that the team would perform well at the World Cup.
The decision to start Son on the bench for the vital match against South Africa having taken him off during the loss against Mexico coupled with the lacklustre performance by Lee brought heightened scrutiny of Hong and his methods.
As a result, Hong and the first batch of players are expected to arrive home on Tuesday with no welcome ceremony arranged at Incheon airport, the first time in recent memory no such event will have been held for the national team.
Hong will return to South Korea as the former national team boss having announced that he quit the role and few fans of the Red Devils will mourn his departure.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Toby Davis)
