Nat'l football team submits another lackluster performance in loss to Saudi Arabia

AL RAYYAN, Qatar — The men's national football team tried to turn the page and move on from a recent controversy surrounding rift inside the locker room, as they traveled to Qatar for two friendly matches this month.

In the first of those two games held Friday, though, South Korea ended up writing the same old story, as they lost to Saudi Arabia 3-2 in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha.

The South Korean players were inefficient with the pressing and lacked precision and speed with their buildup plays. They did not move the ball with purpose from their own half after winning possession, while allowing their opponents to seize control with quick transition and superior individual skills.

South Korea arrived in Qatar under the cloud of rumors that a handful of mainstays had not been seeing eye to eye. After a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan at home on Oct. 6, three 30-year-old veterans, Hwang In-beom, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Min-jae, threatened to retire from international play because they were apparently not happy with the way captain Son Heung-min and his fellow 34-year-old Lee Jae-sung were running the team.

None of the three acted on that threat, and temporary head coach Robert Moreno selectd all five players for the November matches. Then on Thursday, the five released a joint statement to announce that they were no longer feuding and they were ready to move forward.

Their positive vibe did not translate to on-pitch success Friday, as South Korea struggled to establish their presence against a determined Saudi Arabian side.

In the 20th minute, Hwang Hee-chan found Son for a chance inside the box, but the skipper rolled his left-footed shot just wide of the target. It would have been a highly symbolic moment for what had been regarded for weeks as a divided team.

South Korea conceded the first goal late in the first half. Though Oh Hyeon-gyu netted the equalizer early in the second half, Saudi Arabia punched right back with goals in the 56th and 59th minutes.

Two of the figures from the controversy did connect for a goal, with Hwang Hee-chan assisting Lee Jae-sung's 68th-minute goal just moments after Lee had been subbed in.

Other than a perfunctory high-five, the players did not celebrate much, as the whole team hurried back to the center of the pitch for the restart. And whatever chemistry these five players had rebuilt was ultimately not enough against Saudi Arabia, whose players exploited open space to great effect regardless of their positions.

The South Koreans, on the other hand, remained largely rigid in their 4-4-2 formation, continuing a trend from the first four matches under Moreno in September and October.

The clock is also ticking on Moreno, who was hired in early September as a caretaker boss while the Korea Football Association (KFA) remained in search of a full-time manager.

Moreno is signed through Nov. 27. The KFA said in September that it would consider keeping Moreno on board for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, originally scheduled for January 2027, depending on the national team's performances in his first six matches.

However, the AFC recently postponed the tournament to December 2027, citing security concerns in the host country. And considering how poorly the national team has performed on Moreno's watch, the KFA may simply let the Spanish tactician's contract expire this month and take its time looking for the new bench boss.