Peru 1-0 Korea as Klinsmann still looks for that elusive win

Korea's Lee Kang-in, left, dribbles the ball during a friendly against Peru at Busan Asiad Stadium in Busan on Friday. [YONHAP]

The Korean national team suffered a 1-0 loss in a friendly against Peru at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan on Friday as Jurgen Klinsmann continues to come up empty-handed in the hunt for a first win as manager.

Klinsmann made a few changes to the starting XI from the previous friendlies, with Portimonense SC defender Park Ji-soo and Celtic forward Oh Hyeon-gyu replacing senior players like Napoli defender Kim Min-jae — out for mandatory basic military training this month — and regular captain Son Heung-min, who was unavailable after undergoing hernia surgery two weeks ago.

Korea failed to hold on to the ball in the early minutes and their defense seemed shaky without the usual stalwarts Kim Min-jae and Ulsan Hyundai defender Kim Young-gwon, who was also missing due to an injury.

Peru exploited that vulnerability and opened the scoring in the 11th minute with Bryan Reyna finding the back of the net.

Korea attempted to bounce back, but Peru piled on the pressure to prevent the midfielders from breaking through.

The Taeguk Warriors failed to score an equalizer through the end of the first half with no noticeably threatening moments other than their only shot on target from Lee Kang-in in the 33rd minute, which goalkeeper Pedro Gallese tipped over the bar.

The Mallorca midfielder was the only notable Taeguk Warrior during the first half, pushing aggressively forward and leaving the Peruvian players no choice but to fall back on technical fouls to try and stop him.

The second half saw more aggression from both sides looking to manage their first win of the year — Peru had also been winless since March last year.

Korea then found an opportunity to equalize in the 61st minute with Lee passing the ball to Oh in the penalty box, but the Celtic forward’s shot right in front of Gallese only found the hands of the goalkeeper.

Lee continued to create solid chances with accurate crosses and even a header, but none of his efforts led to that much-needed equalizer, ending the game with Peru up 1-0.

Friday’s loss broke the national team’s unbeaten record at Busan Asiad Stadium, where they had managed eight wins and one draw since 2001.

It is also Klinsmann’s second loss with the Taeguk Warriors, after his first two games in March ended with a 2-2 draw with Colombia and 2-1 loss to Uruguay.

The Taeguk Warriors now have to prepare for another friendly against El Salvador, set to take place at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon on Tuesday.

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