The Koreans scraped the victory on Tuesday to round off a year that saw them qualify for an 11th straight World Cup but fail to sparkle on the pitch.

Hong Myung-bo's side were hammered 5-0 by Brazil in a home friendly last month in front of 63,000 spectators before beating Paraguay and Bolivia in performances that left fans distinctly unimpressed.

In contrast, only 33,256 showed up against Ghana and many of them jeered Hong. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee acknowledged that the Koreans were not at their best but called on his teammates to keep believing in what they were doing.

"There are all sorts of perspectives among football fans and even among us players; the way we watch and understand the game differs, so I think it's only natural for those opinions to come up," said the 24-year-old.

"But rather than paying attention to that, our players and the coaching staff focus on what the team needs to perform at its best and produce the best possible results."

Lee Tae-seok headed the winner in the 63rd minute before Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan missed a penalty around 10 minutes later. Fans cheered when captain Son Heung-min was shown on the big screen, but showed their displeasure towards the coach.

"Of course, it would be ideal if we could deliver a style of play that satisfies everyone, and we will work towards that," said Lee Kang-in.

"But as we prepare for the World Cup, our priority has to be playing in a way that benefits the team, supporting one another, and focusing on what helps us function as a team."

Hong was not impressed with the performance, saying he did not "think the first half went smoothly".

"We had some problems with our play in midfield and early phases of play did not go the way we wanted," said the coach. "But we made adjustments, changed some players, and our substitutes performed better."

02 Aug2025	Pohang Steelers		Austria Wien	€800K
31 Jul2024	FC Seoul		Pohang Steelers	Free transfer

Tae-Seok Lee

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