Korea blow two-goal lead in 2-2 draw with Colombia

Son Heung-min takes a free kick during Korea's friendly with Colombia at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Friday. [YONHAP]

Korea blew a two-goal lead on Friday to draw 2-2 with Colombia in a friendly at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan that marked Jurgen Klinsmann's debut at the helm of the national team.

Friday’s friendly was the first match for Korea since the 2022 World Cup as well as the two sides’ first clash since the friendly in 2019, which ended with a 2-1 victory for Korea.

A friendly only in name, both sides went full throttle from the whistle as Korea pushed hard to embody Klinsmann's vision of aggressive Korean football, while Colombia, who failed to qualify for last year's World Cup, looked to turn a corner under their new manager.

Both sides started aggressively, but it was Korea that quickly found the upper hand. Captain Son Heung-min struck early in the 10th minute, catching Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas off his line and hammering in a left-footed effort for an early 1-0 lead.

Colombia seized the momentum on the rebound, but despite a few solid attempts, Kim Min-jae and the Korean backline held firm.

Korea looked to extend their lead before the half-time and earned a free kick in injury time after Son was fouled.

The Korean captain took the free kick himself and scored the team’s second goal to end the first half 2-0.

The aggressive football that Klinsmann touts was visible throughout the first half. The German manger previously said in his first press conference earlier this month that he would rather win a game 4-3 than 1-0.

That aggressive play, however, was decidedly absent in the second half.

The Taeguk Warriors conceded a goal to James Rodriguez in the 46th minute and another in nearly the same fashion to Jorge Carrascal four minutes later.

In just five minutes, all the hard work of the first half was undone and Korea were suddenly on the back foot for the rest of the game. Reeling from the sudden change of fortunes, Korea failed to turn things around and the match ended at 2-2.

Despite the draw, there were some signs of Klinsmann's push for a more fiery lineup. The new manager opted to start both Cho Gue-sung and Jeong Woo-yeong alongside veterans Son, Lee Jae-sung, Jung Woo-young and Hwang In-beom, bringing some younger legs into the squad that are far more used to starting on the bench and making a late appearance.

Both Lee Kang-in and Oh Hyeon-gyu, another pair that could be at the center of the Korean squad in the future, came on in the second half, playing a full 30 minutes to replace Cho and Jeong.

The debut loss will be a tough pill for Klinsmann to swallow, although the German manager has only been in his post for a few weeks. His predecessor Paulo Bento won his debut match against Costa Rica 2-0 in 2018.

Klinsmann will travel to Seoul with the Taeguk Warriors for a second friendly game against Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on Tuesday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]