Son breaks national scoring record, but Korea's rebuild has long way to go

YONGIN, Gyeonggi — For Son Heung-min of Los Angeles FC, Tuesday’s match against Uzbekistan helped him make history. For Korea, it was another reminder that the team around him remains a work in progress despite the 2-0 victory.

Son picked up timely advice from Lee Kang-in of Atlético Madrid before his sixth-minute free kick against Uzbekistan at Yongin Mireu Stadium on Tuesday.

“You’ve got to keep it low,” Lee whispered. Son obliged, making a low, quick right-footed shot around the wall and into the bottom-right corner.

Son slid across the turf on his knees, completed his trademark camera celebration and motioned for the crowd to cheer even louder.

The goal was his 59th for Korea — a figure that surpassed Cha Bum-kun’s to allow Son to claim the national team’s all-time scoring record.

Son reached the landmark in his 151st appearance, 16 years after his international debut in 2010. He also pushed his personal record for direct free-kick goals in international matches to nine.

Tuesday’s game was a major test for Spanish head coach Robert Moreno and Son. They needed to show that the team was united and deliver a result that would win back frustrated fans.

Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae was left out of the squad after playing three consecutive matches. After Friday’s friendly against Venezuela ended in a 0-0 draw, the key defender threw his boots from the bench and later gave a blunt assessment of the performance.

“I feel sorry for the defenders,” he said. “It didn’t feel like we were fighting together.”

Porto’s Hwang In-beom was also close to tears on Friday.

“This is my ninth year with the national team, but we haven’t managed to make the changes that we need to make in many areas,” the midfielder said.

These remarks seemed to go beyond general complaints about teammates who did not give it their all. Instead, they hinted at deeper friction within the squad, built up since the World Cup, and seemed aimed at specific players.

This left Son facing questions too. Nine years into his captaincy, he can no longer remain separate from worries about the team’s internal problems.

“As a rule, issues inside the team should be dealt with inside the team,” Moreno said on Monday, seemingly to calm any concerns, before returning to strategy, describing Son’s linkup play as an important part of Korea’s attack.

Moreno kept Son in a two-striker system for the fourth straight game under his watch, though he swapped out Besiktas’ Oh Hyeon-gyu for Shimizu’s Oh Se-hun as Son’s partner. Oh rewarded that decision in the 60th minute by powering Song Min-kyu’s cross into the net with a header.

The victory improved Korea’s record against Uzbekistan to 12 wins, four draws and one loss. Uzbekistan currently sits at No. 59 on the FIFA rankings — 27 places below No. 32 Korea — but Fabio Cannavaro’s side beat Iran 3-1 and Syria 4-1 in its previous two friendlies and proved a far tougher test than its ranking suggested.

“I’m overwhelmed with emotion,” Son said after the match. “I never took this […] for granted when I was young, and I still don’t. But the 16 years that I’ve spent with my teammates and coaches mean more to me than my goals. I don’t know how much longer [I’ll play professionally], but as long as I’m on the national team, I believe that I have to give the Korean people something to be proud of.”

The performance itself, however, was more anticlimactic. Despite concerns that his 4-4-2 left Korea short in central midfield, Moreno again used only Lee Jae-sung of Mainz and Park Jin-seob of Zhejiang in the middle. Lee Kang-in was also stationed on the right flank again instead of the free-roaming shadow striker role that best unlocks his attacking threat. His influence suffered, and he was substituted at halftime after failing to make an impact.

Korea’s passing finally began flowing after Hwang came on for the second half. At the other end, Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo kept Korea from conceding with a series of sharp saves, including one that denied Akmal Mozgovoy’s volley in the 57th minute.

“Korea still lacked quality in its buildup play, ball retention and passing accuracy,” commentator Han Joon-hee said. “There were also several occasions when Uzbekistan’s quick transitions unsettled the defense. Another concern is that Lee Kang-in has yet to really stand out since Moreno took charge.”

Han, however, saw signs of improvement.

“Korea showed progress in its intensity, high press and willingness to defend as a team,” he said. “The changes from the bench worked as well. Four games should have been enough for Moreno to begin forming a clearer assessment of the squad.”

The empty seats told their own story. Only 24,587 fans filled the 37,155-capacity stadium, a sign that supporters remain cool toward the national team.

The victory gave Moreno a 2-1-1 record across Korea’s four internationals in September and October. His side had cruised past Ecuador 3-0 before a bruising 4-1 loss to Uruguay and a scoreless draw with Venezuela. Two away friendlies next month will complete his six-game audition, after which the team will decide whether he stays through the Asian Cup in January 2027.