On June 19, in a Group A match of the 2026 North America World Cup held at Guadalajara Stadium in Sapopan, Mexico defeated South Korea 1-0.
According to Yonhap News, Aguirre expressed his affection for Lee during the post-match press conference, stating, "I love Lee Kang-in like family and have taken care of him for a long time. He is a very proud friend whom I have raised like my own child at home."
He added, "When he came up to me on the field, I jokingly said, 'I want to hit you.' I told him I didn't like his hair dye and asked what that was about."
In the match, South Korea conceded a painful winning goal to Luis Romo in the fifth minute of the second half, resulting in a 0-1 loss.
After a comeback victory of 2-1 against the Czech Republic in their opening match, South Korea now has one win and one loss (3 points) but remains in second place in the group.
Meanwhile, Mexico, which defeated South Africa 2-0, has secured two consecutive wins (6 points) and has already confirmed its advancement to the knockout stage as the first team in the tournament, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming match against the Czech Republic.
South Korea will face South Africa in their final group match on June 25 at 10 a.m. at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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