The South Korea national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in a friendly match held on May 31 at Brigham Young University's South Field in Provo, Utah.
After suffering consecutive losses to Ivory Coast (0-4) and Austria (0-1) during a European tour in March, this victory marked South Korea's first win in three matches since their 1-0 victory over Ghana last year.
Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC) and Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland) each scored two goals to lead the team to victory.
Notably, Son scored his 55th and 56th career goals in international matches, narrowing the gap to just two goals behind former coach Cha Bum-kun, who holds the record for the most goals by a South Korean player in international matches with 58.
Coach Hong employed a three-back formation against Trinidad and Tobago, with Son positioned at the forefront, supported by Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) and Lee Dong-kyung (Ulsan Hyundai) in the attacking midfield. Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai) and Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) coordinated in the midfield, while Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon Hana Citizen) played as wing-backs. The three-man defense consisted of Lee Gi-hyeok (Gangwon FC), Jo Yu-min (Sharjah), and Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland). The goalkeeper was Jo Hyun-woo (Ulsan Hyundai).
South Korea took the lead in the 40th minute, with Son scoring after receiving a cross from Kim Moon-hwan. Just three minutes later, he converted a penalty kick awarded to Bae Jun-ho, completing his brace.
In the second half, Coach Hong actively utilized substitutions, bringing in Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang Hee-chan, Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Seol Young-woo (Crvena Zvezda), and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) for Kim Jin-kyu, Bae Jun-ho, Son, Lee Han-beom, Baek Seung-ho, Castrop, and Kim Moon-hwan.
A third goal came in the 65th minute when Cho Gue-sung headed in a cross from Lee Dong-kyung.
South Korea added two more goals with a penalty kick from Hwang Hee-chan in the 75th minute and another goal from Cho Gue-sung in the 77th minute, sealing the 5-0 victory.
Despite the impressive win, South Korea faced injury concerns as Jo Yu-min and Bae Jun-ho were substituted in the second half due to potential injuries.
The team will face El Salvador in their second warm-up match on June 4 at 10 AM at the same venue before moving to Guadalajara for their training camp.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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