More questions than answers for Korea

Korea earned two wins, one loss and one draw in Robert Moreno’s first four matches as interim head coach, but questions remain over his future and reported divisions within the team. Moreno’s contract includes two more games in November, after which officials will decide whether he continues through the Asian Cup. Son Heung-min scored against Uzbekistan to become Korea’s leading international scorer with 59 goals. Reports that Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom considered international retirement have added uncertainty.

Korea’s four-match record under Moreno was a 3-0 win over Ecuador, a 4-1 loss to Uruguay, a 0-0 draw with Venezuela and a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan.

Moreno’s initial contract covers two additional games in November, which had not yet been confirmed when the article was written.

Son Heung-min surpassed Cha Bum-keun by scoring his 59th goal for Korea against Uzbekistan.

Kim Min-jae said Korea’s defenders were not all fighting together because attacking players were not contributing enough defensively.

Kim Min-jae plays for Bayern Munich, while the article identifies Lee Kang-in as a Paris Saint-Germain player during the previous Asian Cup incident.

Published Oct 8, 2026 2:07 pm KST

A friendly match between Korea and Uzbekistan was held at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap

There were never going to be too many questions answered in four games. If this was a league season, it would still be very early but Korea’s interim head coach Robert Moreno has now had two thirds of the games in his initial contract. There are two more games to go in November yet to be confirmed, and the decision will then be made whether Moreno will continue into the Asian Cup in January and beyond.

It wasn’t all about the results but it is worth a look. It started with a 3-0 win over Ecuador, then there was a 4-1 loss at the hands of Uruguay, a 0-0 draw against Venezuela and then, on Tuesday, a 2-0 victory against Uzbekistan.

At the basic level, Moreno, who has a mixed resume, brought improvements. The team's performance had more energy, more tactical flexibility and, it seemed, more communication. It should be remembered, however, that the bar was very low.

The two-year tenure of Hong Myung-bo started badly and took a turn for the worse, ending with a disastrous World Cup showing. The images of Hong sitting passively as the games in Mexico went poorly for Korea will remain for a long time. Moreno was a more active presence, in terms of how he moved on the sidelines and tried to find solutions on the field.

There was another cause for celebration. Son Heung-min scored the opening goal against Uzbekistan to take his international tally to 59. That is now the highest ever by a Korean player, overtaking the legendary Cha Bum-keun, who retired from the national team after the 1986 World Cup.

"It is not just the goals that are important. Every moment I have spent with the national team has been precious," Son said. "I don't know how much longer I will get to do this. But whenever I put the national team shirt on, I will do the best I can and make our fans proud."

The international window could have ended on a relative high. A win over an Asian rival, a coach who looks like he has some ideas and a huge desire to prove himself. Yet a shadow lingers. There are reports and rumors of factions forming within the team. Go back to the last Asian Cup and there was a physical altercation between Son and Lee Kang-in, then of Paris Saint-Germain.

After Korea's win over Uzbekistan, there were reports again that three senior players, Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom, were ready to retire from the national team. It would be a worrying development in its own right and deal a huge blow in terms of the stature and importance of the trio to the team.

Kim is a defender for Bayern Munich and hugely influential. He is also unhappy as he said after the Venezuela game. “I feel sorry for the defenders,” Kim said. "It didn't feel like we were all fighting together," in regards to attacking players not helping out enough.

These are serious comments. Hwang In-beom said something similar. It seems as if Korea Football Association officials persuaded the trio to reconsider, but it remains to be seen if the divisions have been healed. Things are never simple in Korean football.

罗伯特·莫雷诺作为临时主教练执教韩国队的前四场比赛中，球队取得了2胜1负1平的战绩，但他的未来以及队内内部的分歧仍然悬而未决。莫雷诺的合同还包括11月份的两场比赛，之后官方将决定他是否继续执教至亚洲杯结束。孙兴慜在对阵乌兹别克斯坦的比赛中进球，以59粒进球成为韩国队历史最佳国际射手。有报道称金珉载、黄喜灿和黄仁范考虑退出国家队，这更增添了韩国队未来的不确定性。

莫雷诺执教韩国队四场比赛的战绩为：3-0战胜厄瓜多尔，4-1负于乌拉圭，0-0战平委内瑞拉，2-0战胜乌兹别克斯坦。

莫雷诺的初始合同涵盖了 11 月份的两场比赛，但截至本文撰写时，这一点尚未得到证实。

孙兴慜在对阵乌兹别克斯坦的比赛中攻入个人在韩国队的第59粒进球，超越了车范根。

金珉载表示，韩国后卫们没有齐心协力防守，是因为进攻球员在防守端贡献不够。

金珉载效力于拜仁慕尼黑，而文章指出李康仁在上一次亚洲杯事件中是巴黎圣日耳曼队的球员。

发布于2026年10月8日下午2:07（韩国标准时间）

周二，韩国与乌兹别克斯坦在京畿道龙仁市龙仁美乐体育场举行了一场友谊赛。（韩联社）

四场比赛不可能解答太多问题。如果这是联赛赛季，现在还为时尚早，但韩国队临时主教练罗伯特·莫雷诺已经完成了他初始合同期内三分之二的比赛。11月还有两场比赛尚未确定，届时将决定莫雷诺是否继续执教至明年1月的亚洲杯及之后的比赛。

虽然结果并非一切，但过程仍然值得一看。比赛以3-0战胜厄瓜多尔开始，随后以1-4负于乌拉圭，与委内瑞拉0-0战平，然后在周二以2-0战胜乌兹别克斯坦。

从基本层面来说，履历褒贬不一的莫雷诺确实带来了进步。球队的表现更有活力，战术更灵活，而且似乎沟通也更顺畅了。然而，需要记住的是，球队的整体水平并不高。

洪明甫执教韩国的两年开局不利，之后更是每况愈下，最终以世界杯惨败告终。在墨西哥世界杯上，韩国队表现糟糕，洪明甫却只能被动地坐在场边观战，这一幕将长久地留在人们的记忆中。相比之下，莫雷诺则更加积极主动，他在场边走动，努力寻找解决之道。

还有另一件值得庆祝的事。孙兴慜在对阵乌兹别克斯坦的比赛中打入首球，将他的国家队进球数提升至59个。这现在是韩国球员的最高纪录，超越了传奇球星车范根，后者在1986年世界杯后从国家队退役。

“重要的不仅仅是进球。我在国家队的每一刻都弥足珍贵，”孙兴慜说道。“我不知道自己还能为国家队效力多久。但只要我穿上国家队球衣，我就会竭尽全力，让我们的球迷感到骄傲。”

国际比赛日本可以以相对高光的成绩收官：战胜亚洲劲敌，新教练看起来颇有建树，并且渴望证明自己。然而，阴影依然挥之不去。有报道称，队内正在形成派系斗争。回顾上届亚洲杯，孙兴慜与当时效力于巴黎圣日耳曼的李康仁就曾发生过肢体冲突。

韩国队战胜乌兹别克斯坦队后，再次有报道称，金珉载、黄喜灿和黄仁范三位老将准备从国家队退役。这本身就是一个令人担忧的动向，对这三人对球队的地位和重要性来说，无疑是一次沉重的打击。

金是拜仁慕尼黑的一名后卫，对球队影响巨大。在委内瑞拉比赛后，他也表达了不满。“我为后卫们感到难过，”金说道，“感觉我们并没有团结一致地并肩作战。”他指的是进攻球员在防守端提供的帮助不够。

这些都是严肃的评论。黄仁范也说过类似的话。韩国足协官员似乎已经说服这三人重新考虑，但分歧是否已经弥合还有待观察。韩国足坛的事情从来都不是简单的。