Son Heung-min scores a free-kick goal during the men’s national team friendly match between South Korea and Bolivia at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on Nov. 14. (Yonhap)
DAEJEON, Nov. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea walked out of Daejeon World Cup Stadium on Friday night with a 2–0 win over Bolivia — but the scoreline glossed over a performance that left far more concerns than comfort.
Yes, Son Heung-min delivered a world-class free kick. Yes, Cho Gue-sung capped his long-awaited return with a confidence-boosting late goal. But for most of the night, Korea looked disjointed, unimaginative and strangely labored against a Bolivian side ranked 76th in the world — a team Korea should be dominating, not merely edging past.
Manager Hong Myung-bo abandoned the three-man back line used throughout the fall and reverted to a traditional four-man defense. The change didn’t stabilize much. Korea’s buildup was sluggish, its passing sloppy, and its midfield nonexistent for long stretches.
With Hwang In-beom and Paik Seung-ho sidelined, Hong turned to Kim Jin-gyu and Won Du-jae. Neither took control of the center of the park, leaving Korea’s attacks predictable and easily bottled up.
Bolivia, compact and physical, didn’t need to do anything fancy — it simply absorbed pressure and watched Korea beat itself. Misplaced passes, hesitant touches and slow rotations plagued Hong’s side throughout the first half. Even Korea’s most promising patterns — Lee Kang-in dropping deep to spark movement, Hwang Hee-chan attacking the left half-space — fizzled out in the final third.
For a team chasing a top seed in next month’s World Cup draw, the lack of sharpness was glaring.
Son Heung-min attempts a dribble during the friendly match against Bolivia. (Photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association)
If not for Son’s brilliance in the 57th minute — a gorgeous free kick curled over the wall and into the upper corner — this match easily could have slipped into an embarrassing stalemate. Korea’s second goal, an 88th-minute finish from Cho Gue-sung, came more from Bolivian chaos than Korean craft.
Even defensively, Korea wobbled. Bolivia found space behind the back line several times, and only Kim Seung-gyu’s sharp saves kept the scoreboard clean.
Hong may have earned a win, but he did not earn answers. For the third straight match, the midfield lacked cohesion, the attack lacked structure, and the team as a whole looked miles away from top-tier form.
Korea got the result. But the performance was a warning sign — and with Ghana up next on Sunday, the margin for more uninspired football is shrinking fast.
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo watches the match during the men’s national team friendly between South Korea and Bolivia at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on November 14. (Yonhap)
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
