Son Heung-min Scores Twice As South Korea Cruise Past Trinidad And Tobago 5-0 In Pre World Cup Friendly
South Korea needed a confidence boost heading into the World Cup. They got one in Utah on Sunday, with Son Heung-min and Cho Gue-sung both scoring twice in a 5-0 hammering of Trinidad and Tobago.
Coach Hong Myung-bo would have wanted a clean, purposeful performance ahead of a tournament that kicks off in less than two weeks. What he got was that and more. South Korea dismantled Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 at BYU South Field in Provo, Utah on Sunday, with their captain doing what he always does when his team needs him most. The win comes at a good time. South Korea had lost both of their March internationals and entered this training camp with some questions to answer about form and fitness. Sunday's performance answered most of them, even if the late injury scare to two players tempered some of the mood.
How the Goals Went In
South Korea dominated possession from the first whistle but struggled to find the opener for half an hour. The deadlock finally broke in the 39th minute when Son Heung-min stepped up to convert a penalty, rifling the ball into the far left corner. He doubled the lead four minutes later, just before halftime, as South Korea went into the break 2-0 up and firmly in control.
The second half was more comfortable. Cho Gue-sung, who plays for Midtjylland in Denmark, added a third in the 64th minute and then scored again in the 76th, with new wingback Seol Young-woo providing the assist for the second. Hwang Hee-chan, who had endured a difficult spell at Wolverhampton before this camp, got himself on the scoresheet with a penalty in the 74th minute to complete the rout.
The only concern came through injury. Defender Cho Yu-min pulled up in the 51st minute after chasing a loose ball and was later carried out of the stadium on the back of a team staffer. Bae Jun-ho went down in the 59th minute after a hard foul by Trinidad's Molik Khan, who was booked, and limped off after treatment. Both players' availability for the tournament opener is now being assessed.
What Comes Next for South Korea
The result keeps South Korea on track for their second and final warm-up match, against El Salvador at the same BYU venue on June 4. After that, attention turns fully to the World Cup itself.
South Korea are in Group A and open their campaign against Czechia on June 11 in Guadalajara. Their remaining group matches are also in Guadalajara, a high-altitude city, and the camp in Utah was deliberately chosen to help the squad acclimatise to those conditions ahead of the tournament. On that front, Sunday's breezy win suggested the adjustment is going well.