In the friendly match against Uruguay held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th, the South Korean national football team ended the first half with a 0-1 score. This is the second match played by the national team since the launch of the Klinsmann era.
Coach Klinsmann placed Hwang Ui-jo (Seoul) as the forward instead of Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk) and positioned Son Heung-min below Hwang Ui-jo. Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) stood on the left and right of the second line. In midfield, Hwang In-beom and Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd) took on the role of linking offense and defense. The back four defense line was composed from the left by Lee Gi-je (Suwon), Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan), Kim Min-jae (Napoli), and Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan). The goal was guarded by Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan) for the first time in eight months since the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship match against Japan held in July last year.
From the beginning, Uruguay's intense forward pressure continued, threatening the goal with Jose Luis Rodriguez shooting from the right side of the penalty area. In the 7th minute of the first half, the Korean defense cleared the ball, but Valverde connected it to a non-stop mid-range shot, which Jo Hyeon-woo saved. However, just 10 minutes into the first half, Sebastian Coates scored against Korea.
Korea launched a counterattack led by Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in but failed to score. In the late first half, defensive midfielder Jung Woo-young suffered an injury and had to leave the field, with Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan) coming on as a substitute, but Korea ended the first half trailing 0-1.
Korea holds an overall record of 1 win, 2 draws, and 6 losses against Uruguay.
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