South Korea will seek a rebound against Austria in a pre-World Cup friendly after a 4-0 loss to Ivory Coast. The first-ever meeting between the teams is set for Tuesday at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna. Coach Hong Myung-bo plans to refine his back-three formation despite defensive struggles.
South Korea suffered a 4-0 loss to Ivory Coast in a friendly on Saturday at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England. The world No. 35 Ivory Coast scored through four different players, while Korea, ranked 22nd, hit the post three times. Captain Son Heung-min of Los Angeles Football Club and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in did not start and failed to influence the game after second-half substitutions.
Son has been unwell since joining camp last week, and Lee sustained an ankle injury in a recent PSG match. Borussia Monchengladbach's Jens Castrop was sent back to his club Sunday after spraining his right ankle on March 21 in a Bundesliga game; he did not play against Ivory Coast. In coach Hong Myung-bo's back-three setup, defenders struggled with pressing and failed to launch quick transitions.
Hong said after the match, "While reverting to a back-four would be easy, I will keep working to improve the back-three." World No. 25 Austria, fresh off a 5-1 win over Ghana on Friday, will feature Tottenham Hotspur's Kevin Danso, FC Augsburg's Michael Gregoritsch, and Borussia Dortmund's Marcel Sabitzer. Dortmund's Carney Chukwuemeka scored on his Austria debut against Ghana after switching from England's youth teams.
Korea will watch if Son and Lee recover fully; Son has no open-play goals for LAFC this season, and Lee's role at PSG has diminished. The match starts at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday local time (3:45 a.m. Wednesday Korean time) at Ernst-Happel-Stadion.
