Hong Myung-bo hits out at South Korea's defence against Algeria
Coach apologises to supporters after his side let in three goals in the first half against Algerians
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo blasted his team's woeful defending in their 4-2 World Cup group H loss to Algeria, saying the players had let him down.
"The defence wasn't what it should have been, our players were not up to standard," Hong said after the defeat, which left South Korea bottom of the group.
"I would like to apologise to the Korean fans and I promise we will do our best for the next match," he said.
I would like to apologise to the Korean fans and I promise we will do our best for the next match
South Korea's defending had been a major cause for concern in the lead-up to the World Cup and slack play cost them a goal against Russia in their 1-1 draw.
"We did analyse the strategies, but the result was such that I could say it was not well done," Hong said.
"The result speaks for itself, so that was incorrect on our part. But we have to look ahead. As we conceded a lot of goals, there was a strategic mistake on our part."
Hong rejected any suggestion that South Korea had taken Algeria too lightly.