"We beat them 3-1, but they suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat?"... Korean soccer loses despite fielding Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min; Japanese media gleefully compares the two.

[Financial News] 'The same opponent, a gap of only four days. However, the results were completely opposite, a 3-1 victory and a 1-4 defeat.'
As the South Korea national football team suffered a devastating defeat against Uruguay on home soil, the Japanese media is pouring out bitter comparative analyses as if they had been waiting for this moment. Faced with the undeniable fact that Korea suffered a crushing defeat against a team they had previously crushed, despite mobilizing their all-out elite squad, Korean football has tasted a sorrow that leaves them unable to even refute.
The South Korea national football team, led by interim head coach Robert Moreno, suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat in a friendly match against Uruguay held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th. The momentum from the decisive victory against Ecuador was nowhere to be seen, and the defense collapsed from the first half.
South Korea conceded the opening goal to Darwin Núñez in the 13th minute of the first half, followed by a second goal to Giorgian de Arrascaeta in the 27th minute. Compounded by a painful own goal from key defender Kim Min-jae in the 43rd minute, the team finished the first half 0-3 down. The score widened to 0-4 after conceding another goal to Núñez in the 17th minute of the second half.

In the 35th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min finished off a sharp cross from Lee Kang-in, narrowly avoiding a shutout defeat. This goal was Son Heung-min's 58th career goal in international matches, a historic moment that tied the all-time record held by former national team manager Cha Bum-kun. However, the brilliance of this great record was completely overshadowed by the disastrous 1-4 scoreline.
The most painful aspect is the direct comparison with Japan. Uruguay, led by manager Diego Forlán, is the team that lost 1-3 to Japan in a head-to-head match just four days earlier on the 24th. However, four days later, they traveled to Seoul and crushed Korea 4-1, registering their first victory under Forlán's leadership.
In response, Japanese media immediately highlighted the situation between Korea and Japan.
Japanese football media outlet 'Soccer Digest' pointed out, "While Japan achieved a dramatic victory, South Korea suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat against Uruguay," adding, "Although key players such as Son Heung-min started, they succumbed to the South American powerhouse that had previously lost to Moriyasu Japan."

'Soccer King' also emphasized that Uruguay's coach Forlán achieved a landslide victory against Korea following the defeat against Japan, while 'The World' went so far as to use the blunt expression "light and shadow diverged with Japan" in its title.
The reason Japan's mocking reporting is even more bitter is because of the performance of the Japanese national team on the same day. On the 28th, in a friendly match against Venezuela, Japan achieved a 2-1 comeback victory despite implementing an unconventional rotation that changed as many as 10 players in the starting lineup in preparation for the match against Uruguay.
Japan, which achieved two consecutive wins against South American teams by fielding virtually a B-team, and Korea, which suffered a four-goal defeat at home despite pouring out all its key European-based players. Amidst the stark contrast proven by the numbers (scores), Korean football feels heavy-hearted as it concludes its September international match schedule.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter