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YONGIN, South Korea, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea edged out Uzbekistan 2-0 for their second victory in four matches under interim boss Robert Moreno, with captain Son Heung-min becoming the country's all-time male leading scorer.
Son Heung-min of South Korea makes a pass against Uzbekistan during the teams' football friendly match at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 6, 2026. (Yonhap)
Son scored his record-setting 59th goal off a free kick in the sixth minute at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul, and the Taegeuk Warriors fought off a determined Uzbekistan side that controlled the match for long stretches at a time.
South Korean goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo (C) makes a save against Uzbekistan during the teams' football friendly match at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 6, 2026. (Yonhap)
Substitute Oh Se-hun had the second goal for South Korea in the second half, as they wrapped up their Sept.-Oct. FIFA match window with two wins, one draw and one loss.
South Korea will next play two matches during the Nov. 9-17 window.
Oh Se-hun of South Korea (R) celebrates after scoring against Uzbekistan during the teams' football friendly match at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 6, 2026. (Yonhap)
Son gave South Korea the 1-0 lead in the sixth minute, seconds after Jakhongir Urozov was charged with a handball violation just outside the center of the box. The veteran talisman stepped up and fired a low right-footed shot into the bottom right corner, as he broke a tie with former striker Cha Bum-kun on the goal scoring leaderboard.
However, Uzbekistan seized control of the match for a long stretch after the goal, using their speed on counterattacks to puncture holes on South Korean defense and generate dangerous looks.
Dostonbek Khamdamov tested goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo from the left side of the box after receiving a through ball from Akmal Mozgovoy in the 14th minute. Moments later, Abbosbek Fayzullaev fired a shot right at the South Korean custodian.
With Uzbekistan dominating the ball, chances were hard to come by for South Korea, with defender Cho Hyun-taek trying to spark a rally with a close-range shot turned aside by goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov in the 31st minute.
South Korean players celebrate their 2-0 win over Uzbekistan in the teams' football friendly match at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 6, 2026. (Yonhap)
Uzbekistan kept applying pressure on the opposing defense, and Jo denied Khamdamov on a shot from the left side of the box to keep South Korea up 1-0.
With the clock ticking down on the first half, Son took another free kick, this time from outside the left side of the area, but sent it right at Nematov.
Son nearly scored his second free kick goal three minutes after the restart. He fired a curler that seemed destined for the back of the net, but Nematov lunged to his left for his toughest save of the match.
The match turned into a battle of goalkeepers, with Jo coming up huge at the other end with consecutive diving stops on Akmal Mozgovoy and then on Odiljon Hamrobekov in the 57th minute.
South Korea doubled their lead at the hour mark, with two substitutes connecting for the insurance marker.
Winger Song Min-kyu did the dirty work, sprinting hard down the right flank before sending a cross toward the goalmouth. Oh Se-hun, the tallest South Korean player at 193 centimeters, soared over defender Bekhruz Karimov to head the ball past Nematov.
With Uzbekistan appearing to run on fumes, South Korea found more space to roam on the attacking end. And yet it was Uzbekistan that generated more looks, with Khusain Norchaev striking the right side of the net after a botched South Korean clearing attempt in the 77th minute.
After Gu Sung-yun replaced Jo in goal in the 84th minute, South Korea kept the door shut for the final stretch.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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