Moreno finishes four-match window with two wins, one draw, one loss

Oh Se-hoon celebrates with Son Heung-min after scoring South Korea's second goal against Uzbekistan in the second half of a friendly at Yongin Mir Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
Oh Se-hoon celebrates with Son Heung-min after scoring South Korea's second goal against Uzbekistan in the second half of a friendly at Yongin Mir Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

South Korea defeated Uzbekistan on the strength of Son Heung-min's record-breaking 59th international goal, the most ever scored by a Korean man.

The national team, led by head coach Roberto Moreno, beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in a friendly at Yongin Mir Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. Son, of LAFC, opened the scoring with a free kick in the sixth minute, and Oh Se-hoon of Shimizu added a header in the second half.

The goal was Son's 59th in 151 international appearances, surpassing former coach Cha Bum-kun's record of 58 goals in 136 games to become the all-time leading scorer among Korean men in international football.

Oh made his first start under the new coaching staff and marked the occasion with a goal. It was his third international goal and his first since South Korea's 3-1 victory over Kuwait in an away match in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup in November 2024 — nearly two years ago.

The result gave Moreno a record of two wins, one draw and one loss across four internationals in September and October this year.

Korea won the opening match against Ecuador 3-0 and Tuesday's game against Uzbekistan, but lost 1-4 to Uruguay in the second match and managed only a dull 0-0 draw with Venezuela in the third.


ehkim@heraldcorp.com