South Korea's national team secured a convincing 3-0 friendly victory over Ecuador, building key momentum ahead of their World Cup qualifying campaign. Goals from Oh Hyeon-gyu, Son Heung-min and Lee Dong-gyeong sealed the win on September 24. The result comes as the team holds 3 points from their first three World Cup qualifying matches.
How the match unfolded
The first half was a cagey, physical affair with both sides focused on avoiding mistakes. Ecuador's Jackson Porozo was booked after just 10 minutes, with Park Jin-seob and Lee Han-beom also seeing yellow before the break. South Korea held 60% possession but struggled to create clear chances.
The game transformed after halftime. Oh Hyeon-gyu broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, finishing a long pass from Kim Min-jae. Son Heung-min doubled the lead just four minutes later. Substitute Lee Dong-gyeong then put the result beyond doubt in the 86th minute, assisted by Kim Bong-soo. The result extends South Korea's recent form to three wins from their last five matches (WLLWW).
Substitutions and cards
Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann made multiple changes in the second half, introducing Lee Tae-seok, Kim Tae-hyeon, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Bong-soo around the 65-minute mark. The match was notably physical, with a total of nine yellow cards shown. Ecuador committed 20 fouls but found South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu in fine form, making three saves to preserve the clean sheet.
The win provides a timely boost as South Korea sit third in their World Cup qualifying group with three points from three matches. Their next test is a key home qualifier against Uruguay on September 28.
