The South Korea national football team drew with Venezuela on October 2 at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.
With Son Heung-min and Oh Hyeon-gyu leading the attack, South Korea still could not consistently create attacks capable of controlling the flow of the match.
More frustrating than the 0-0 result was the way the defense and attack moved together.
3-Line Summary
1. South Korea drew 0-0 with Venezuela
2. Venezuela’s second-half shot struck the goalpost
3. The gaps in organization were greater than the lack of goals
The 0-0 in Ulsan: The Attack Never Opened Up
South Korea, led by interim manager Roberto Moreno, finished its friendly against Venezuela without scoring. South Korea’s first shot of the first half came from Cho Hyun-taek in the 45th minute. Oh Hyeon-gyu found the net in first-half stoppage time, but the goal was disallowed because of a foul on the opposing goalkeeper during the attacking buildup.
In the 51st minute of the second half, Son Heung-min turned Oh Hyeon-gyu’s low cross into a shot, but it went straight at the goalkeeper. Lee Dong-gyeong’s long-range shot in stoppage time was also stopped by the goalkeeper. Son Heung-min failed to score in this match, leaving him tied with former manager Cha Bum-kun at 58 goals as the joint all-time leading scorer for the men’s national team.
Even though South Korea sent several attempts toward goal, it would be difficult to say that the team continually unsettled the opposing defense and built up decisive chances. The late first shot of the first half and the limited finishing in the second half showed the pattern behind the goalless result.
Venezuela’s Goalpost Shot Shows the Defensive Burden
Venezuela also failed to score. One goal was disallowed for offside, and a deflected shot in the 72nd minute of the second half struck the goalpost. South Korea prevented a goal but allowed the opponent to create a situation that threatened the goalpost.
In a post-match broadcast interview, Kim Min-jae said that the entire team needed to press and defend together. According to a report by Star News, he pointed to the burden felt by defenders at the back and the team’s lack of defensive involvement. Rather than being an issue of individual defending, his comments raise the question of whether the organization connecting the front line to the back line functioned sufficiently.
Kim Min-jae played until he was replaced by Kim Tae-hyun in the 35th minute of the second half. He played 75 minutes against Ecuador, 45 minutes against Uruguay, and 80 minutes against Venezuela, appearing in all 3 matches during this period.
After the 3-0 Win over Ecuador, Momentum Stalled in Two Matches
During this September–October international match period, South Korea beat Ecuador 3-0, then lost 1-4 to Uruguay and drew 0-0 with Venezuela. With a win, a heavy defeat, and a draw following one another in a short period, it is difficult to determine the team’s direction based on the result of a single match.
However, the match against Venezuela was one in which South Korea needed to rebound after its defeat to Uruguay. That is why the goalless draw will remain as more than simply a friendly-match result without points; it exposed once again the level of completion in the attacking buildup and defensive cooperation. South Korea is scheduled to conclude its September–October international match schedule against Uzbekistan on October 6 at Yongin Mireu Stadium.
References
Tags #SouthKoreaVenezuela #SouthKoreaNationalFootballTeam #VenezuelaFootball #UlsanMunsuFootballStadium #RobertoMoreno #SonHeungmin #OhHyeongyu #KimMinjae #ChoHyuntaek #LeeDonggyeong #ChaBumkun #FootballFriendly #UzbekistanMatch