From 4 matches to 4 years? Moreno gives himself a fighting chance as he steadies the Warriors’ ship.
The Taeguk Warriors wrapped up a four-match international break with two wins, one loss and one draw.
While friendly results matter little, with this window, in some ways they mattered even less; this was a classic case of “the journey is the destination” as the Korea Football Association (KFA), the team and the fans all wanted to see if interim manager Robert Moreno knows ball — and could get the lads to play it properly after the dismal summer showing at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Korea 3-0 Ecuador
Moreno got off to a flying start with his debut. After calling up a squad that hinted at an impressive scouting range, the new gaffer imposed his style from the kickoff, with the side combining a mix of Wengerball on the break with now-classic Barcelona in the final third. Wingers and wingbacks linked up for pacy charges down the flanks, with one-twos pinging around in the form of backheels and dinks over defenders.
The name of the game was fast buildup play, hitting Ecuador hard on the break. The deadlock was broken by Oh Hyun-gyu, who drilled a shot from distance after a three-pass sequence that started with netminder Kim Seung-gyu in Korea’s own penalty area and sprinted downfield through the middle of the park.
A vintage Son Heung-min curled in No. 2 of the night with a free kick on the left flank six yards from the byline.
The third goal was the product of quick build-up play and deliberate passing around the edge of the penalty area to find Lee Dong-gyeong, who pivoted and placed his shot in the far lower corner.
The new style of attack wasn’t without hiccups. The speed of the break meant that any dip in chemistry resulted in an incomplete pass, but the ball movement was sharp and passing options abundant, giving Korea 60 percent possession.
For his first match, Moreno acquitted himself well.
Korea 1-4 Uruguay
The Warriors were on the back foot right out of the gate as Uruguay pressed high and fast with a midfield that completely bossed Korea out of the middle of the pitch. The speed of the attacks neutered the Korean defense, which completely conceded the flanks and clustered in the central defensive zone.
Uruguay had room to roam on the wings because Korea’s wingbacks were often too far up the pitch on one side or the other, leaving the three remaining defenders scrambling to cover the entire width of the defensive third as attack after attack carved up the back line, often with no support from the midfield.
The hosts went into the dressing room at half time 3-0 down. Something had to change.
And did it ever. From the second half kickoff, the side was reformed, maintaining discipline in the back as the wingbacks stayed at home, while a change in midfield brought on Kim Min-su, the 20-year-old Rangers new boy who injected electricity into Korea’s attack with charging runs at the Uruguayan lines.
Korea conceded one more, then kicked it into gear.
The midfield got involved, helping the defensive line compress Uruguayan attacks to force turnovers.
On the ball, Korea broke down the flanks quickly and worked around the penalty area. Korea finally got on the scoresheet with something of a fluke after Lee Kang-in sent a low cross at an unmarked Son, who was credited with the goal — tying him with legend Cha Bum-kun’s national team record — though the captain said he didn’t feel any contact with the ball.
Korea 0-0 Venezuela
The football on offer was far from entertaining, but the tactical demonstration was worth watching. Both sides went with a direct approach in attack, with the South American side faring better, catching Korea’s midfielders out and forcing them to rush back and make sloppy tackles, resulting in a double-digit number of fouls in the first half. The back four, for its part, held its line well and closed down attacks, limiting the pressure on the goal.
The Warriors seemed to be out of ideas on the ball, which was only 40 percent of the first half as possession was largely ceded to the visitors.
As he did against Uruguay, Moreno inspired change in his side in the second half, with the robust defense paired with more disciplined possession as the side traded long balls over the top for shorter, sharper passing and patient ball movement until a gap opened up. While strings of short passes between midfielders and defenders in the middle of the park could hardly be considered riveting football, it was precisely what the side needed: calm, low-pressure stretches on the ball.
The disappointing result was punctuated by a fully justified rant from Kim Min-jae, who said the defenders felt alone on the pitch, something that did play out against Uruguay and Venezuela and needed to be addressed, but could such a change be made in one match?
Korea 2-0 Uzbekistan
It would turn out that, yes, it can.
It was apparent that he had worked intensively on defensive synchronization. Prior to the Venezuela match, he had called for an “11-man defense” that he most certainly did not get. He did on this night. There were often 11 lads behind the ball, with even the strikers consciously positioning themselves to cut passing lanes as the midfielders and defenders set up tight low blocks that gave Uzbekistan little room to work.
That's not to say it went off without a hitch: Kim Tae-hyun was up against it at right back, the visitors catching him deliberating between chasing the runner or cutting the passing option and failing to do either, but a starting back four with an accumulated 30 caps covered for each other well.
On the ball, there was a bit less cohesiveness, as if the players were simply instructed to score more than they did against Venezuela. A direct approach paid off after Son Heung-min won a free kick right on the edge of the penalty area and buried a free kick to become Korea’s all-time leading goalscorer. The towering presence of Oh Se-hun as a proper nine indicated an acceptance of an aerial approach, which paid off around the hour mark with a fast break producing a cross that the striker latched onto cleanly for a second goal.
What now?
After a four-match stretch, it is abundantly evident that Moreno came in with a plan and put it to work. The lads, in turn, responded, following through on the pitch after half time instructions were dispensed. The national team is not completely healed from the summer, but it is well on its way to rehabilitation for the Asian Cup.
So then, the question on fans’ lips when Moreno was unveiled as the new temporary gaffer: Could he get the Warriors to wage war the right way?
It certainly seems so. While two more matches in November could tip the scales the other way, after 360-odd minutes, the manager has made a strong case for the KFA to give him a fighting chance.
BY THOMAS MCCARTHY [thomas.mccarthy@joongang.co.kr]
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