In the 58th minute of the friendly match on 24/9, Son Heung-min scored a remarkable free-kick for host nation South Korea. From a tight angle near the byline, Son curled a shot that beat goalkeeper Hernan Galindez, despite the efforts of one of South America's top goalkeepers. The ball swerved into the far corner of the net.

Son Heung-min (in red) celebrates his goal during South Korea's 3-0 friendly victory over Ecuador in Suwon, South Korea on 24/9. *Photo: AP*

This precise free-kick marked Son's 57th goal for South Korea. The 34-year-old forward is now just one goal shy of the record held by Cha Bum-kun, who won two UEFA Cups with Frankfurt and Leverkusen. Son has the opportunity to equal or break this record in upcoming friendly matches against Uruguay (28/9), Venezuela (2/10), and Uzbekistan (6/10).

Among South Korea's top 10 goal scorers, Son is the only active player. Another legend, Hwang Sun-hong, ranks third with 50 goals.

The captain's goal extended South Korea's lead to 2-0 against Ecuador. Four minutes prior, Oh Hyeon-gyu had broken the deadlock with a long-range shot that deflected off an opponent before finding the net.

Ecuador, a team that defeated Germany 2-1 in the group stage and reached the round of 16 at the World Cup 2026, failed to display their usual caliber. Willian Pacho and his teammates took seven shots, but most were long-range efforts that posed little threat. In contrast, South Korea defended well, maintained possession, and counter-attacked effectively.

In the 86th minute, substitute Lee Dong-gyeong, who had replaced Son, received a through ball into the penalty area and fired a low shot to seal the 3-0 victory.

Son Heung Min scores free-kick goal for South Korea.

This decisive victory against a team that finished second in the South American World Cup 2026 qualifiers marked a perfect start for Robert Moreno, the Spanish coach recently appointed as South Korea's interim manager. A long-term contract for Moreno may depend on the results of this match and upcoming games. In 1/2027, South Korea will begin their Asian Cup campaign with three Group E matches against Yemen, Vietnam, and UAE.

Meanwhile, this defeat presented a difficult start for Marcelo Gallardo, the Argentine coach who recently took the "hot seat" for Ecuador. Previously, another Argentine coach, Sebastian Beccacece, had guided Ecuador to a second-place finish in the South American qualifiers and into the round of 16 at the World Cup 2026.

Thanh Quy