'Record -1' Son Heung-min+'Big Bird Cannonfire' Oh Hyeon-gyu... Moreno's 4-4-2 Passes for Now "The Key to the First Win Was the Striker Duo"

*This content was translated by AI.

The front-line striker duo selected by coach Roberto Moreno, Son Heung-min and Oh Hyeon-gyu, both fired their scoring cannons in unison, earning a clear passing grade.

South Korea's men's national football team, led by new head coach Roberto Moreno, secured a 3-0 victory against Ecuador at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 24th during the 'September-October Hana Bank Invitational Friendly Match for National Teams'. The win was powered by a relay goal from Oh Hyeon-gyu, Son Heung-min, and Lee Dong-gyeong.

Coach Moreno deployed Son Heung-min and Oh Hyeon-gyu at the forefront in today's match. This pairing served as the core attacking card of the 4-4-2 system he had declared shortly after taking office to reflect K-League trends.

The new coach's tactical identity was immediately evident in defense and transitions between offense and defense. The national team maintained a compact spacing between lines throughout the match, and aggressively pushed forward whenever possession was regained. Despite only two days of short-term training camp, Moreno's message regarding defensive balance and transition was clearly imprinted on the pitch.

However, there was insufficient time to perfect detailed attacking tactics. This gap, which could have been somewhat frustrating, was perfectly filled by the individual skills and finishing ability of the players.

South Korea scored the opening goal just nine minutes into the second half. The first scorer under Moreno's regime was Oh Hyeon-gyu. A long forward pass from Kim Min-jae traveled through Song Min-gyu's feet to reach the surging Oh Hyeon-gyu. Oh then curled a shot from outside the arc that deflected off a defender and found the back of the net. This marked Oh's eighth goal in an A-match. Moreover, it was his first goal at Big Bird since October 2022 during his time with Suwon Samsung, ending a drought of 1,426 days.

Momentum shifted as South Korea widened the gap four minutes later with Son Heung-min's spectacular free kick. From a free kick awarded near the left flank outside the box, Son elegantly curled the ball with his left foot into the opposite corner of the net. This goal brought Son's A-match tally to 57, narrowing the gap to just one goal behind Cha Bum-kun (58 goals), who holds the record for most goals in South Korean men's A-matches.

The match concluded with Lee Dong-gyeong scoring a third goal in the 86th minute of the second half, sealing a 3-0 victory for South Korea.

Refining detailed attacking combinations and on-field chemistry remains a task for the future. However, in this first match under the new coaching regime, the starting striker duo both found the net, while substitute Lee Dong-gyeong also tasted success, signaling a smooth start for Moreno's team.

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*This content was translated by AI.