South Korea's captain Son Heung-min (LAFC) tied the record for the most goals in men's A matches for the national team. However, the achievement was overshadowed by a heavy defeat against Uruguay.
Under the guidance of interim coach Roberto Moreno (Spain), the South Korean national team lost 4-1 to Uruguay in a friendly match held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on September 28.
Son scored the team's only goal in the 35th minute, connecting with a low cross from Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid) and firing a right-footed shot into the net while rushing into the penalty area.
With this goal, Son reached 58 goals in 149 A matches, tying with former national team coach Cha Bum-kun (58 goals in 136 matches) for the most goals in South Korea's A match history.
Having scored his 57th goal in the previous match against Ecuador, Son continued his scoring streak, marking his 300th career goal with this latest strike.
Despite Son's milestone, the team could not celebrate. After a 3-0 victory in Moreno's debut against Ecuador on September 24, this marked the first loss for the interim coach. South Korea's all-time record against Uruguay now stands at 1 win, 2 draws, and 8 losses.
In the early stages of the match, South Korea's high pressing was ineffective, leading to defensive lapses that allowed Uruguay to score early. In the 13th minute, after losing possession in their own half, Darwin Nunez scored the opening goal following a pass from Giorgian De Arrascaeta.
South Korea conceded a second goal in the 27th minute when they allowed De Arrascaeta to take a long-range shot that found the back of the net.
After conceding two goals, South Korea struggled to regain momentum and ended the first half down 3-0 after an own goal by Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) in the 43rd minute while trying to block a run from Guillermo Barriera.
At the start of the second half, Moreno made several substitutions, bringing in Kim Min-soo (Rangers), Jo Hyun-taek (Ulsan HD), Park Jin-seob (Zhejiang FC), and Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima Antlers) in hopes of turning the tide.
In the early moments of the second half, Kim Min-soo, Oh Hyun-kyu (Besiktas), and Lee Kang-in attempted shots to shift the momentum, but they were either saved or went wide.
Instead, in the 63rd minute, Nunez scored again with a header from a cross by Barriera, extending the lead to 4-0.
Following this, Coach Moreno made additional substitutions, bringing in Choi Jun (FC Seoul), Oh Se-hun (Shimizu S-Pulse), and Park Tae-jun (Gimcheon Sangmu). Although Son's goal helped avoid a shutout, South Korea could not narrow the gap further.
After completing their two matches in September, Moreno's team will face Venezuela on October 2 and Uzbekistan on October 6.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.