Despite Son Heung-min's 58th goal tying Cha Bum-kun's record... 'Roberto Moreno-led' South Korea suffers crushing 1-4 defeat to Uruguay

[Financial News] The South Korea national football team suffered its first defeat under interim head coach Roberto Moreno of Spain. Captain Son Heung-min of Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) scored a consolation goal to tie former head coach Cha Bum-kun for the most goals in South Korean men's international matches, with 58, but had to swallow his disappointment over the team's crushing defeat.
The South Korea national football team suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat to the Uruguay national football team at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th, in the second match of a four-game friendly series held in September and October, conceding three goals in the first half alone. Roberto Moreno, who recorded his first win in his debut match against Ecuador on the 24th, a 3-0 victory, thus suffered his first defeat against the South American powerhouse Uruguay. South Korea's all-time record against Uruguay is now 1 win, 2 draws and 8 losses.
Roberto Moreno deployed all of his best available players, including Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in of Atlético Madrid and Kim Min-jae of FC Bayern Munich, and used the same 4-4-2 formation as against Ecuador. However, South Korea struggled as Uruguay repeatedly broke through with sharp counterattacks, attacking both flanks and focusing on the space behind the defense by pushing its defensive line high.
South Korea conceded the opening goal to Darwin Núñez just 13 minutes into the first half, then allowed a second goal in the 27th minute on a precise non-stop mid-range shot by Giorgian de Arrascaeta. To make matters worse, in the 43rd minute, Kim Min-jae's attempted clearance while trying to stop an opponent's counterattack turned into an own goal, sending the ball into South Korea's net and leaving the team 0-3 down at halftime.
In the second half, Roberto Moreno attempted to turn the game around by replacing Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan with Kim Tae-hyeon and Park Jinseob, but to no avail. Instead, South Korea fell 0-4 behind in the 17th minute when Núñez headed in an additional goal after receiving a cross from Varela.
It was Son Heung-min who saved South Korea from a goalless defeat. In the 40th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min surged toward the goal to meet a diagonal left-footed cross from Lee Kang-in on the right flank, stretched out his right foot and slightly redirected the ball into the Uruguay national football team's net.

With this goal, Son Heung-min scored his 58th international goal in his 149th appearance since making his international debut in a friendly against Syria in December 2010, writing a new chapter in history by matching the record for most international goals held by former head coach Cha Bum-kun, a legend of Korean football.
However, with the outcome already decided, Son Heung-min calmly resumed play without even performing his trademark 'camera-click' celebration. In a post-match interview with the broadcaster, Son expressed deep disappointment, saying, "I feel no emotion about the record right now. I am much more saddened by today's loss."
Regarding the goal, he said, "First of all, I don't even know whether I touched the ball," adding, "Because the result is disappointing, that is what concerns me more. It is regrettable that the players' confidence fell after we conceded three goals in the first half and that we were unable to execute the plays we had prepared, but we should view positively the players' efforts to give their best and not give up for all 90 minutes."
Meanwhile, the Roberto Moreno-led team will play the third match of its four-game international series against Venezuela, which lost 1-2 to Japan, at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium at 8 p.m. on October 2. In that match, Son Heung-min will attempt to set a new record for most international goals by a South Korean men's player with his 59th goal.

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter