South Korea's national football team defeated Bolivia 2-0 in a friendly match on November 14 at Daejeon World Cup Stadium, with goals from Son Heung-min and Cho Gue-sung. Cho marked his return to the national team after 20 months with a goal. The win helps South Korea maintain its No. 22 FIFA ranking ahead of the 2026 World Cup draw.
South Korea secured a 2-0 victory over Bolivia in a friendly match at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on November 14, with both goals coming in the second half. Son Heung-min opened the scoring in the 57th minute with a trademark free-kick curler, marking his 54th international goal and closing to within four of all-time leader Cha Bum-kun. Son said, "I am really pleased to have scored on this special night when my friend Jae-sung was celebrated," referring to midfielder Lee Jae-sung's pre-match ceremony for his 100th cap.
Cho Gue-sung, substituting for Son in the 76th minute, added the insurance goal in the 88th minute during goalmouth scrambling after Bolivian defender Diego Arroyo fell while clearing a cross from Kim Moon-hwan. It was Cho's first international appearance in 20 months, since March 2024, following knee surgery and a bacterial infection that sidelined him for the entire 2024-2025 season. He had scored twice against Ghana in the 2022 World Cup group stage, becoming the first South Korean to net multiple goals in a World Cup match, and joined FC Midtjylland in July 2023, where he scored 12 goals to help win the 2023-2024 Danish league title. Returning in August 2025, Cho netted three goals in 10 league games. He remarked, "It was fun. I was just so happy to be playing again," and added, "I was really happy to be playing in front of so many fans," with nearly 34,000 in attendance.
The first half was goalless and tense, with South Korea struggling against Bolivia's man-to-man defense and high pressing despite outshooting them 5-4. Key chances included Lee Jae-sung's header in the 11th minute and Lee Kang-in's shot in the 25th, both saved by Guillermo Viscarra, while Fernando Nava tested Kim Seung-gyu twice. Coach Hong Myung-bo praised his team's determination, saying, "The opponent was a much stronger team than what people outside might have thought," and noted Bolivia's solid defense. South Korea reverted to a back-four formation after seven back-three games, with sound defensive organization but disappointing attacking patterns. Ranked 22nd to Bolivia's 76th, the win helps maintain Pot 2 seeding for the December 5, 2026 World Cup draw, ahead of the final 2025 match against Ghana.