South Korean team-mates were pelted with eggs and Union Jack cushions after arriving home from the World Cup. Shin Tae-yong and his team posed for photographs after arriving at the Incheon International Airport on Friday, where they received a warm welcome from the crowd.
But as the squad lined up for customary photos for the press, what seemed like a few disgruntled fans then began to hurl pillows and a few eggs towards the players.
The shell-shocked squad watched on as security guards attended to the commotion before more of the cushions made their way over to the team.
None of the objects managed to hit any of the players in what was mainly a positive welcoming home ceremony for the South Korean side.
Soon after, Son and manager Shin Tae-yong addressed the crowd and said that returning home so soon after crashing out in the group stages was disappointing.
‘I didn’t want to come home until July and it’s disappointing to be back home in June,’ Shin said. ‘I’d like to thank our fans for their love and support. Without our fans, we wouldn’t have been able to create the miracle that we did.’
Thank you to all of you who came today,’ Son, who was almost hit by an egg, said.
‘I am sorry to our fans that we didn’t live up to our promise of reaching the knockout stage but I think we all saw some hope from the win over Germany. But we won’t get carried away with that bit of success, and we’ll continue to work hard.’
Despite bowing out of the tournament quite early, pride was restored following their huge 2-0 win over Germany in their final Group F game on Wednesday.The team will return to competitive action at the 2019 Asian Cup in January