Guadalajara: On the heels of their opening victory at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, South Korea received some encouraging news on the injury front on Friday. Defender Kim Tae-hyeon, dealing with an ankle injury that some feared could keep him out of the group stage, will be available as early as next Thursday for South Korea's second Group A match against Mexico.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim picked up the injury during a training session Tuesday at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, near Guadalajara. A national team official had informed reporters that the left-footed center back might miss the entire group stage, which concludes on June 24 for South Korea. However, Song Jun-seob, the senior team doctor, clarified Friday that Kim's injury was not as severe as initially feared.
"The initial MRI confirmed a ligament tear but the picture wasn't clear enough for us to determine the exact degree," Song stated. "We checked his swelling 24 hours later and determined that it was an average sprain. So we told the coaching staff that he should be able to play at the World Cup."
Kim is one of just two left-footed center backs on the team, alongside Lee Gi-hyuk. With Kim not available in South Korea's 2-1 win over Czechia on Thursday, Lee played the entire match and received a yellow card in the final moments of his World Cup debut.
In another injury-related update, midfielder Bae Jun-ho is making his way back from an ankle injury sustained during a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago on May 30. "His sprain is more severe. It's been nearly two weeks since he got hurt and he's recovering," Song noted. "But another injury at this point would rule him out of the World Cup, and so we're taking it conservatively."
The Taegeuk Warriors returned to training at Chivas Verde Valle for a recovery session. Players who participated extensively in the match jogged around the pitch before engaging in additional workouts indoors, while 13 players who stayed on the bench or had limited action undertook conditioning drills, followed by small-sided games.
South Korea, having defeated Czechia at Estadio Guadalajara, will face Mexico at the same venue at 7 p.m. Thursday (local time), or 10 a.m. Friday (South Korean time). Mexico, one of the tournament's co-hosts, secured a 2-0 victory over South Africa in the tournament opener. The winner of the South Korea-Mexico showdown will be in a favorable position to win Group A.
South Korea will rest on Saturday and resume training the following day.