Overmatched S. Korea unable to contain Ivory Coast in dispiriting loss
2026.03.29 01:40
Overmatched S. Korea unable to contain Ivory Coast in dispiriting loss
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- Between hitting the woodwork three times and suffering defensive breakdowns on multiple occasions, little went right for South Korea in their 4-0 loss to Ivory Coast in a friendly football match in England on Saturday.
Four different players found the back of the net for world No. 35 Ivory Coast at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, northwest of London, while three players each struck the right post for 22nd-ranked South Korea.
Perhaps a little more luck would have led to a far different outcome, but aside from those close calls, South Korea did not generate other threatening opportunities in the attacking zone.
At the other end, head coach Hong Myung-bo's defenders at times looked helpless against skilled and physical attackers.
On the match's first goal, Martial Godo fought off center back Cho Yu-min, who couldn't keep up with the speedy winger in a race toward the box. Godo found Evann Guessand with a pass that rolled through the wickets of another center back, Kim Min-jae. Defensive midfielder Park Jin-seob was late to the scene as Guessand rolled the ball into the bottom right corner.
For the second goal, Simon Adingra made one quick spin move with the ball coming to his feet to send multiple defenders scrambling, and it gave the forward enough space to unleash a right-footed shot from the center of the box.
On the third Ivory Coast goal, South Korea's defense failed to clear the loose ball out of harm's way following a corner, and Godo jumped on a rebound after goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, one of the few bright spots for South Korea in the match, made the initial save on Guessand.
With the match all but decided, South Korea's turnover in the dying seconds led to an Ivory Coast counterattack. Substitute Wilfried Singo converted an Amad Diallo feed to round out the scoring, with only the final whistle saving South Korea from further humiliation.
South Korea often crowded their defensive zone and outnumbered their opponents, but that left the team with few attackers up front to mount counterattack chances when Ivory Coast turned the ball over.
The loss was particularly discouraging with the FIFA World Cup less than three months away.
South Korea will next face 25th-ranked Austria in Vienna on Tuesday.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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