South Korea and Uruguay meet on Monday at 13:00 in a friendly that brings two newly appointed coaches into view, with Robert Moreno seeking to build on an emphatic first result for the Taegeuk Warriors and Diego Forlán looking to end Uruguay’s extended wait for a win.
Different starts for Moreno and Forlán
- Moreno took over South Korea after Hong Myung-Bo and began his tenure with a 3-0 victory against Ecuador, spoiling Marcelo Gallardo’s first match in charge of the South American side.
- Son Heung-min was central to that win, completing the scoring with an outstanding free-kick.
- Forlán’s first outing as Uruguay coach, by contrast, ended in a 3-1 defeat to Japan. Hajime Moriyasu’s side struck twice after the 90-minute mark to settle the contest.
- Uruguay now face their second match under the former Villarreal and Atlético de Madrid forward, who is expected to alter his line-up for the trip against South Korea.
Thiago Cardozo, Sebastián Cáceres, Joaquín Piquerez, Rodrigo Zalazar and Martín Satriano are among the players who could be given an opportunity as Forlán assesses his options. The Celeste may take the field with a markedly changed team from the one beaten by Japan.
Uruguay seek a way out of their barren run
The match offers Uruguay a chance to halt a difficult sequence stretching back to their last victory, a friendly success over Uzbekistan on 13 October 2025. Since then, they have played eight times, with three defeats and four draws across matches led largely by Marcelo Bielsa before Forlán’s arrival.
There is also a more specific concern in the forward line. Uruguay’s centre-forwards have not scored since Rodrigo Aguirre and Federico Viñas found the net in the 3-0 win over Peru in the penultimate round of South American World Cup qualifying. The strikers called up since then have accumulated 990 minutes without a goal.
South Korea’s established stars
Moreno has major figures available as he looks for a second consecutive win. Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae and Los Angeles FC attacker Son are both in the squad, while Atlético de Madrid midfielder Kang-in Lee could return to the starting side after beginning the Ecuador match on the bench.
The fixture will be the 11th meeting between the nations. Uruguay won their most recent encounter, taking a 2-1 result in 2023, and hold a commanding historical advantage with seven victories. South Korea have won once, while two matches have ended level.
