South Korea vs Ecuador: Son Heung-Min Sparks 3-0 Friendly Win
South Korea beat Ecuador 3-0 in Suwon as Son Heung-Min scored in the second half and helped turn a tight friendly into a clear home win. Oh Hyeon-Gyu and Lee…
SUWON — South Korea vs Ecuador ended 3-0 in an international friendly on Friday in Suwon, South Korea, with Son Heung-Min scoring after the break to help the hosts pull away. Oh Hyeon-Gyu and Lee Dong-Gyeong also found the net as South Korea controlled the final stretch.
The result gave South Korea a clean-looking win on the scoreboard. It also gave Robert Moreno a sharp test against a disciplined Ecuador side that stayed in the game for long spells before the hosts broke through.
South Korea vs Ecuador turns after halftime
South Korea opened the scoring in the 54th minute through Oh Hyeon-Gyu, who finished the move that broke Ecuador’s resistance. Four minutes later, Son Heung-Min doubled the lead and put the match firmly in South Korea’s hands.
Lee Dong-Gyeong added a third in the 86th minute to close out the friendly. The late goal removed any doubt about the final margin.
Ecuador had chances of its own, but it could not match South Korea’s finishing. The visitors finished the match without a goal despite producing 11 shots and five attempts on target, according to ESPN’s match data.
South Korea, by contrast, made its pressure count. The home side finished with five shots on goal and three goals, a rate that told the story of the night. Efficient. Clinical.
Lineups show both sides tested different looks
South Korea lined up in a 4-4-2 shape, while Ecuador used a 4-2-3-1. Son Heung-Min started up front for the hosts, with Oh Hyeon-Gyu, Lee Jae-Sung, Seung-Won Jeong and Min-Kyu Song in support through the midfield and attack.
Ecuador’s starting group included Caicedo, Angulo, Yeboah, Arroyo, Franco, Vite, Estupiñán, Preciado, Pacho, Porozo and goalkeeper Galíndez. The visitors tried to stay compact, but South Korea’s movement between the lines created enough space to decide the game after halftime.
Substitutions came in waves for both teams. South Korea brought on Hwang Hee-Chan, Kim Tae-Hyeon, Lee Tae-Seok, Kim Min-Jae, Lee Dong-Gyeong and Oh Se-Hun, while Ecuador turned to Mercado, Arroyo, Angulo, Castillo, Valencia and Minda.
Numbers favor South Korea
Possession finished 59% to 41% in South Korea’s favor. The hosts also had more corners, 5 to 4, and committed fewer fouls, 14 to Ecuador’s 21.
That balance mattered. South Korea did not need long spells of sterile possession. It needed a few sharp moments, and it got them. Ecuador worked harder for its openings, but the final pass and the finish never arrived.
ESPN listed South Korea with three goals from three different scorers, while Ecuador’s goalkeeper Galíndez made two saves as the match slipped away in the closing minutes. South Korea’s Seung-Gyu Kim finished with four saves, while Ecuador’s back line spent long stretches under pressure after the first goal.
The friendly also served as another snapshot of South Korea’s attacking options with Son Heung-Min still central to the team’s plans. For Ecuador, the match offered a useful measure of where the group stood against a compact, efficient opponent in away-like conditions in Suwon.
South Korea’s next friendly dates were not included in the ESPN match page, but the performance against Ecuador left one clear figure at the top of the report: 3-0.
Source: taegukwarriors.com
