S. Korea team beats El Salvador in final match before World Cup

Lee Dong-gyeong of South Korea celebrates after scoring a goal against El Salvador during the teams' friendly football match at BYU South Field in Provo, Utah, June 3. Yonhap

PROVO, United States — South Korea edged out El Salvador 1-0 on Wednesday in their final friendly match before the upcoming FIFA World Cup, as they enter the big tournament on the heels of two straight victories.

Midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong curled home a free kick in the 57th minute of the match at BYU South Field in Provo, Utah, for South Korea's only goal of the match.

South Korea previously beat Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 on Saturday. The Taegeuk Warriors will now travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, to set up their World Cup base camp.

South Korea will play all three of their Group A matches in Mexico — two in Guadalajara and one in Monterrey.

Their first match will be against Czechia at 8 p.m. June 11 (local time) at Estadio Guadalajara, or 11 a.m. June 12 (South Korean time).

Hwang Hee-chan of South Korea, left, tries to move past Mauricio Cerritos of El Salvador during the teams' friendly football match at BYU South Field in Provo, Utah, June 3. Yonhap

Head coach Hong Myung-bo made whole changes to his starting lineup from the one that began the Trinidad and Tobago match, as eight new faces took the field. Defenders Lee Gi-hyuk and Lee Han-beom, and winger Lee Dong-gyeong were the only three players to make consecutive starts.

Those new players, though, were sloppy with the ball in their own zone early on and they weren't as connective as the group from the last match. They even allowed some counter breaks against El Salvador.

It took a set piece opportunity in the second half for South Korea to finally get on the board, as Lee Dong-gyeong found the top right corner with his left-footed shot from just outside the box.

This was the fourth international goal for the 2025 K League 1 MVP.

Hong made eight substitutions just after the hour mark, with captain Son Heung-min and playmaking midfielder Lee Kang-in among those coming off the bench.

Lee Tae-seok of South Korea, left, takes a shot against El Salvador during the teams' friendly football match at BYU South Field in Provo, Utah, Wednesday. Yonhap

They showed a little more life on offense, with Lee and others trying to find Son for scoring chances. But South Korea settled for a one-goal victory.

South Korea, world No. 25, enjoyed a 71-29 edge in possession over 100th-ranked El Salvador. They outshot El Salvador 6-0 and enjoyed a 14-3 advantage in shot attempts.