South Korea Defeats Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in Pre-World Cup Friendly

South Korea defeated Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in a pre-World Cup friendly on May 30 at BYU South Field in Provo, Utah. Captain Son Heung-min scored twice in the first half, and Cho Gue-sung replaced him after the interval to score twice more. Hwang Hee-chan converted a second-half penalty.

Trinidad and Tobago, ranked 102nd in the world, defended deep and limited early chances. South Korea, ranked 25th, created its first clear opening in the 31st minute when Paik Seung-ho headed a Kim Moon-hwan cross but was denied by goalkeeper Jabari Brice. Son opened the scoring in the 40th minute on an assist from Kim and added a penalty three minutes later.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo started a back-three defense of Lee Gi-hyuk, Cho Yu-min and Lee Han-beom, with Jens Castrop and Kim Moon-hwan deployed as wingbacks. Lee Gi-hyuk, 25, was appearing in only his second senior international match. He later said Hong instructed him to keep passes simple and time them to the rhythm of the forwards.

"I was nervous but I am just happy I played without making glaring mistakes," Lee said. "Our attackers made great off-ball movements and I had so many options when I had the ball. I tried to make the best choice every time.

He added that teammates told him he had played well but that he must improve further ahead of the World Cup. Lee Dong-gyeong assisted Cho Gue-sung’s first goal with a cross from the right. Cho’s brace marked his first multi-goal performance for South Korea since scoring twice against Ghana at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

"I’m happy with this big win and it’s great to see everyone get involved on offense," Cho said. " South Korea’s next friendly is against 100th-ranked El Salvador on Wednesday at the same venue. The team opens its World Cup campaign on June 11 against Czechia in Guadalajara, Mexico.