S. Korea to face Uzbekistan, New Zealand in March football friendlies

South Korea will face Uzbekistan and New Zealand in football friendlies next month, officials here said Wednesday.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said South Korea will host Uzbekistan on March 27 and then New Zealand on March 31. The venues of the matches have yet to be determined.

In their most recent clash, South Korea defeated Uzbekistan 2-0 in extra time in the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup in Australia. South Korea went on to finish second to Australia at the tournament.

South Korea has nine wins, two draws and one loss in all-time meetings. South Korea is ranked 69th, two spots ahead of Uzbekistan.

Last week, the Uzbekistan Football Federation (UFF) announced that its national team will travel to Seoul to face South Korea on March 27, but the KFA said no deal was yet in place.

The match will be held against the backdrop of an unsavory on-field incident involving the two countries' under-22 men's teams.

During a match at the Thailand FA King's Cup earlier this month, Uzbekistan's Jaloliddin Masharipov was ejected after launching a flying kick into the chest of South Korea's Kang Sang-woo. Tohir Shamsitdinov also received a red card later for throwing punches at Shim Sang-min's face.

Shamsitdinov and his coaches later visited the South Korean team hotel to apologize in person, and the UFF issued an apology.

New Zealand is currently ranked 131st in the world, and South Korea is undefeated in six meetings, with five wins and one draw. Their last showdown came in 2000 in New Zealand, where the two played to a scoreless draw. (Yonhap)