A Former 'Korea Killer' Recalls the Past: "Let's Reach the Round of 32 Together!"

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South Korea is set to face Mexico for the third time on the World Cup stage. Many of you likely remember the clash during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon met with Ricardo Peláez, the star of yesteryear who scored the equalizer back then and was particularly formidable against South Korea.

[Reporter]

Back in 1998, South Korea took its first-ever lead in World Cup history thanks to a free-kick goal by Ha Seok-ju.

However, the joy was short-lived.

Two minutes later, Ha Seok-ju received a red card, leaving the team at a numerical disadvantage. After conceding an equalizer six minutes into the second half, the team collapsed.

Ricardo Peláez, the man who scored that equalizer, still cannot forget that day 28 years ago.

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It was his World Cup debut, and the memory and emotion of scoring his debut goal just six minutes after being substituted onto the pitch remain vivid.

[Peláez / Former Mexico National Team Forward: My first touch that day led to a goal. I remember Ha Seok-ju being a very tough and good player, and Hong Myung-bo being tall and strong.]

Peláez was particularly strong against South Korea.

Nine years before that match, in his international debut, he scored four goals against us, leading his team to a landslide victory.

[Peláez / Former Mexico National Team Forward: It was my first match for the national team, and I scored four goals. I guess I had good energy because my son was about to be born.]

Now participating in the Korea match as a TV commentator, Peláez expects a close game, noting that while Mexico will receive enthusiastic support from home fans, South Korean football has shown remarkable growth recently.

[Peláez / Former Mexico National Team Forward: Son Heung-min is especially excellent. Korean players are fast and have great focus. It will be a tight match against Mexico.]

Peláez wished our team luck, expressing his hope that both Mexico and South Korea will advance through the group stage together.

[Peláez / Former Mexico National Team Forward: I send my congratulations on the tremendous development shown by Korean football. Long live Mexico! Long live Korea! Long live football!]

(Video reporting: Hwang In-seok, Video editing: Lee Jae-seong, Design: Park Tae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.