Brazil 4-1 South Korea
Paulo Bento announced his resignation as coach of South Korea on Monday evening, following their World Cup last-16 knockout round defeat to Brazil.
Bento’s side were subjected to a brutal first-half dismantling by Brazil, who led 4-0 after just 36 minutes in Doha. A stunning strike from Paik Seung-Ho gave the Koreans some consolation, but during his post-match press conference Bento revealed he had stepped down from his role.
“Our participation ended here and now it is time to think about the future, which for me will not be with the Korean national team,” Bento said. “I'm going to rest and then I'll see what I'll do.
“I've just communicated it to the players, to the president. It's a decision I've taken since September. Today I ended up just confirming it and thanking them for everything they've done and everything they've given.
"I believe we can be very proud of what we have done at this World Cup, and what we have done over the last four years to get here. I think we did really well in the group stage although I think we could have picked up more points as we should have beaten Ghana.
“I couldn't be prouder. It was certainly one of the best groups I've worked with, if not the best. We are saddened by this result, but proud of what the boys have done across these four years.”
Bento leaves as South Korea’s longest-serving manager in history, having taken charge in August 2018. The Portuguese guided the Reds to the East Asian Championship in 2019 and won 35 of his 57 matches in charge, with Seung-Ho’s late strike against Brazil the 100th goal scored under his tenure.
By Sean Gillen
