The South Korean player who refused to shake hands with OlyWhites goal-scorer Chris Wood was just following Covid-19 protocols, not being a sore loser, according to the Korean Football Association.
Wood was rejected when he went to shake hands with midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong after helping New Zealand claim an historic 1-0 win in their opening game of the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.
The Burnley striker said he suspected Dong-gyeong was just disappointed to lose, believing the Asian champions would have expected to walk all over the less fancied OlyWhites in the Group B clash.
South Korea’s Lee Dong-gyeong, left, refuses to shake OlyWhites striker Chris Wood’s hand after New Zealand’s 1-0 win at the Tokyo Olympics.
Im sure they thought it was going to be an easy game against us and walk all over us, but we made it a lot harder than they would have expected, Wood said.
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Im sure he was just disappointed and theres nothing too much to worry about. We move on.
However, according to reports in South Korea it was just a simple misunderstanding after Dong-gyeong was labelled a sore loser on social media for refusing to shake Woods hand at the end of the game.
A spokesperson for the Korean Football Association told South Koreas Yonhap News Agency that the Ulsan Hyundai player was just following Covid-19 protocols as the team was strictly told to avoid unnecessary contact with New Zealand before and after the game.
Before this tournament, I thoroughly educated people to avoid unnecessary contact with their opponents before and after the match, they said.
Even before the match on that day, I firmly told them not to touch the opponents.
When it was put to Wood that Dong-gyeong might have been following Covid-19 protocols, he did not seem fazed either way: If it was, only he will know. Thats fine. It doesnt bother me, Wood said.
I shook hands with a number of them, they shook hands with me.
Its disappointment, or he is just that cautious about Covid, and thats fine.
New Zealand’s Chris Wood celebrates scoring the opening goal against South Korea.
Woods match-winning minute goal came following a deflected shot from Joe Bell in the 70th minute. He was initially flagged for offside before the decision was overturned by the video assistant referee.
Despite the fortuitous nature of the goal, Wood said it ranked right up there with his most significant on the international stage.
It helped the OlyWhites secure New Zealands first-ever win in mens football at an Olympics Games tournament.
This is a huge one and to get a win on the international stage like this is massive.
Its when I do my best work; when I dont have time to think.
As a striker, and Waineo [Ben Waine] will be able to tell you as well when he plays, its all about getting the right touch and the right connection when you shoot, and thankfully I was able to do both.