Uruguay 2-1 Korea as aggressive approach causes concerns at the back

Lee Kang-in, right, in action during a friendly with Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Jurgen Klinsmann's first week with the Taeguk Warriors in town ended in disappointment on Tuesday when Korea lost 2-1 to Uruguay in a tough friendly at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul.

Tuesday’s game was the first clash between the two sides since the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which ended with a goalless draw. Klinsmann's leadership appeared to add a lot more aggression to the Korean lineup compared to that last meet, but potentially at the cost of some quality defending.

Korea started the second of two friendlies with nearly the same XI that played in Friday’s 2-2 draw with Colombia.

One huge difference was the addition of Lee Kang-in, who was substituted on in Friday’s game, starting Tuesday and playing the full 90 minutes. Veteran goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, who did not play on Friday, also started instead of Kim Seung-kyu, who had been the more regular pick of late.

The most notable name in Uruguay’s lineup was Federico Valverde of Real Madrid, who scored a goal in the friendly with Japan on Friday.

The friendly was only a friendly by name, as both sides were out in full force to secure their first win of the year. Uruguay drew 1-1 with Japan last week.

Korea started the game as aggressively as they did on Friday, pressuring Uruguay hard to create chances. Lee was a huge figure in the game, clearly fitting well into Klinsmann’s aggressive approach and leading the Taeguk Warriors on the offense throughout the game.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of Lee's impact in the game was that it was him, not captain Son Heung-min, who appeared to be most aggressively man-marked by Uruguay, with three players on Lee at practically any given moment.

Despite the young midfielders efforts, it was Uruguay that got on the scoresheet first, with Sebastian Coates scoring the opener from a corner in the 10th minute.

Korea tried to bounce back, but failed to score that much-needed equalizer in the first half despite multiple attempts.

While last week there were concerns that the aggression dropped off after the break, on Tuesday the Taeguk Warriors returned in full force in the second half and it wasn't long before Hwang In-beom scored the equalizer in the 50th minute.

Korea’s defense remained a concern, however and Uruguay's Marias Vecino exploited that in the 63rd minute when, despite having the entire squad in the box, Korea failed to clear a routine free kick.

Korea found a number of chances to equalize later in the game but could not break through.

Oh Hyeon-gyu, who came on in the 70th minute, scored what looked to be the team’s second goal in the dying minutes of the game, but the attempt was ruled offside by what looked from the replays like an incredibly narrow margin.

That ruling combined with a number of rough challenges at the end of the half made for a bitter pill to swallow when the final whistle eventually blew with the score still at 2-1 for Uruguay.

Captain Son, who scored two goals in Friday’s friendly, created a number of chances during the game but was relatively quiet throughout the game.

Despite the loss, Korea showed some potential on Tuesday with what already looks like a more entertaining form of football under Klinsmann. That the German manager is heavily focused on defense was starkly clear, however, as the Taeguk Warriors' defense needs some serious work.

The loss will be a tough result for Klinsmann to accept. The German manager ends the international break with a draw and a loss and some serious work to do to balance the squad before the next call up at the end of the European season.

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