Moreno's halftime changes bring Korea 3-0 win against Ecuador, first victory for new coach

Korea’s national football team showed signs of a more organized, aggressive side under new head coach Robert Moreno on Thursday, beating Ecuador 3-0 in the Spaniard coach’s debut after making a series of halftime adjustments that turned a scoreless first half into a comfortable victory.

Playing its first match since a disappointing group-stage exit from the 2026 World Cup, Korea displayed improvements in its pressing, defensive positioning and spacing between the lines. Its attack initially struggled without Lee Kang-in, who was left out of the squad to rest, but Moreno’s changes at halftime helped produce three second-half goals.

Oh Hyeon-gyu of Besiktas broke the deadlock in the 54th minute at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi, before captain Son Heung-min of LAFC doubled the lead just four minutes later. Substitute Lee Dong-gyeong of Ulsan added the third in the 86th minute to complete Moreno's winning debut against 25th-ranked Ecuador.

The result gave the 49-year-old former Spain manager an encouraging start to his stint as Korea's interim head coach as the 32nd-ranked Taegeuk Warriors begin rebuilding from their World Cup disappointment.

Moreno, appointed on Aug. 31, followed through on his promise at his introductory press conference on Sept. 14 to deploy a 4-4-2 formation, pairing Son and Oh up front.

Song Min-kyu of Nacional and Jeong Seung-won of FC Seoul, both known for their work rate and defensive contributions on the wings, started on the flanks, with Lee Jae-sung of Mainz and Park Jin-seob of Zhejiang in central midfield.

Fullbacks Cho Hyun-taek of Ulsan and Seol Young-woo of Augsburg joined center backs Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich and Lee Han-beom of Club Brugge in the back four, with Kim Seung-gyu of FC Tokyo in goal.

Lee Kang-in of Atletico Madrid, Hwang In-beom of Porto and Cho Gue-sung of Midtjylland were left out of the matchday squad to rest after joining the national team late because of their club schedules.

Ecuador was missing some regular starters, including Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo, but started players including Sunderland's Nilson Angulo and Paris Saint-Germain defender Willian Pacho.

Moreno's 4-4-2 showed promise defensively in the first half, with Korea pressing effectively and generally maintaining compact spacing between its lines. But the formation left Korea outnumbered at times in central midfield, while switches of play to the opposite flank were scarce and the attack lacked precision in the final third.

Jeong and Lee Jae-sung covered considerable ground on both sides of the ball, but neither team found a breakthrough before halftime.

The match was physical from the outset. Ecuador picked up four yellow cards in the first half alone, while Park and Lee Han-beom were also booked after getting caught up in confrontations with their opponents.

Moreno, meanwhile, shed his black jacket and spent much of the match directing his players from the touchline in a T-shirt. Ecuador was itself playing its first match under new Argentine head coach Marcelo Gallardo, contributing to the intensity as both sides pushed for a result.

Moreno used the halftime break to adjust Korea's pressing and buildup, and the changes quickly paid off.

Nine minutes into the second half, Kim Min-jae played the ball forward from deep and Song redirected it first-time into Oh's path. Oh unleashed a powerful shot from around the top of the penalty arc, with the ball taking a slight deflection before finding the net.

The goal carried additional significance for Oh, who scored at Big Bird — the home stadium of his former club Suwon Samsung Bluewings — for the first time in 1,426 days. He celebrated by kicking the corner flag post.

Son struck four minutes later from a free kick on the left side. Despite the tight angle, the captain curled a right-footed effort directly toward the far side of the net before spreading his arms and performing his signature camera celebration.

It was Son's 57th international goal, putting him just one behind Cha Bum-kun's Korean men's record of 58.

Korea came under pressure in the 70th minute, but Kim Seung-gyu produced a crucial save before Seol tracked back to help snuff out the danger.

Moreno continued experimenting as the match progressed, bringing on several new faces, including Kim Min-su of Rangers and Kim Bong-soo of Daejeon. One of the substitutes eventually produced Korea's third goal, with Kim Bong-soo slipping a through ball to Lee Dong-gyeong, who calmly finished in the 86th minute.

Lee Jae-sung, meanwhile, played a key role in making Moreno's 4-4-2 work, covering ground at both ends of the pitch and helping maintain the balance in central midfield.

A crowd of 33,953 attended the match despite Thursday marking the first day of the Chuseok holiday.

Moreno will lead Korea through six friendlies through November during his interim stint, with his results and performances determining whether he remains in charge through the Asian Cup in January. Korea next faces Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. Monday.

Football commentator Han Jun-hee gave a positive assessment of Moreno's first match, pointing in particular to the team's organization and the new coach's substitutions.

“The players' pressing system and maintenance of spacing between the lines showed considerable improvement,” Han said. “Despite this being his first match, the manager's substitutions and their timing were also satisfactory. I think he has made a good start in laying the groundwork for testing players and carrying out a generational transition while making broad use of the squad.”

BY PARK LIN [[email protected]]