'Son Heung-min sets new record with goal, but...' Moreno's team trails in shots, passes, and possession: 'Uneasy lead' (End of first half)

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite Son Heung-min's early opening goal, Moreno's team maintained a somewhat uneasy lead.

The South Korean national football team, led by interim head coach Roberto Moreno, leads Uzbekistan 1-0 at the end of the first half in the Hana Bank Invitational friendly match held at Yongin Mireu Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 6th.

South Korea deployed a 4-4-2 formation. Son Heung-min and Oh Se-hoon started as the front two, while Lee Kang-in and Hwang Hee-chan were positioned as wingers on the left and right flanks, respectively. The midfield was formed by Lee Jae-seong and Park Jin-sub. The back four consisted of Jo Hyun-taek, Kim Tae-hyun, Lee Han-beom, and Kim Tae-hyun. Goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo kept the net.

South Korea took an early lead with an opening goal. Son Heung-min scored what is now the most goals in men's A-match history for South Korea just six minutes into the first half. A shot fired by Son Heung-min from outside the penalty box hit Urozov's head and hand consecutively, prompting the referee to call a handball foul and award a free kick. Subsequently, Son Heung-min, who took the kick, curled a shot with his right foot into the net. With his 59th A-match goal, Son Heung-min surpassed Cha Bum-keun (58 goals) to take sole first place in men's A-match scoring history for South Korea.

Uzbekistan attempted a counterattack. In the 15th minute of the first half, Fayzullaev received an advanced pass from Shomurodov and fired a threatening shot from inside the box, but goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo parried it straight ahead.

South Korea threatened the opponent's goal again. In the 31st minute of the first half, Jo Hyun-taek surged forward to connect with a one-touch shot after Oh Se-hoon pushed the ball to the left side of the box, forcing the goalkeeper to punch it away hastily.

Uzbekistan did not back down despite conceding the opening goal on the road, increasing their ball possession to create a tense flow. In the 34th minute of the first half, when Mozogboi threaded a penetrating pass into the box, Kamdamov immediately connected with a shot, but goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo blocked it by narrowing the angle.

As the first half neared its end, South Korea showed a decline in the speed of quick transitions between attack and defense that had been displayed during the early to mid-game.

The first half ended with South Korea leading 1-0. However, regardless of the lead, South Korea struggled as they trailed Uzbekistan in several detailed metrics. First-half ball possession was 44% for South Korea and 56% for Uzbekistan, while total shots were 3 to 4 in favor of Uzbekistan. Touches inside the opponent's box were also inferior at 8 to 9. In particular, accurate passes amounted to only 168 (78% success rate), falling short of the 219th (84% success rate) recorded by Uzbekistan.

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*This content was translated by AI.