MOSCOW: South Korea’s faint hopes of reaching the last 16 of the World Cup have faded further with news that captain Ki Sung-yueng will miss their final group game against Germany. The Koreans lost their first two games in Russia but could still advance to the knockout rounds if they defeat the world champions and Mexico beat Sweden on Wednesday. However, their task has been made all the more difficult with the news that Ki will miss the must-win match against the Germans in Kazan after picking up a calf injury in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Mexico. “A medical inspection at a hospital showed that Ki damaged his left calf muscle. He needs two weeks of treatment,” a national team official said. Published in Daily Times, June 26th 2018.