Paulo Bento leaves the command of South Korea after elimination in the World Cup

After the 4-1 defeat by Brazil, which ended up eliminating South Korea in the World Cup in Qatar, Portuguese coach Paulo Bento, 53, announced his departure from the Asian national team.

He said that the decision was already made before the start of the World Cup.

“I just announced it to the players and the president, it was a decision taken in September and I thanked them for everything they did,” Paulo said at the post-match press conference.

“I’m pleased and proud to have been their manager for over four years. Now I’m going to rest and see what happens next.”

About the game, Paulo Bento recognized the superiority of Brazil. “I congratulate my players, who gave their best, but the defeat was fair. Brazil was superior to us”, said the Portuguese.

“It’s a normal victory for a great team, candidate for the title.”

Bento took charge of South Korea in 2018 and managed to get them into the last 16 of a World Cup for the third time in the team’s history.

Captain Son says Korea did what it could

At the post-match press conference, South Korean captain Son Heungmin defended his team against superior opposition.

“We gave everything. Don’t blame us. With these players from Brazil, if you give space to one of them, they score. I don’t want to blame any of our players because they gave everything”, said the midfielder, who also praised the performance of his teammates.

“I’m very proud of what they did. It’s not easy to play, especially for the young people who came in and played from the beginning. They did a great job for our country and I hope they don’t stop working, I hope the young people realize how important is to play in the World Cup. I am very proud and very happy that the young people have done an incredible job for the national team and for the country”, he concluded.