South Korean goalkeeper Lee Seung-kyu (L) blocks a shot by the Japanese side during a football friendly on March 25, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. (Photo: Yonhap News)
South Korea fell to Japan 3-0 Thursday in their first men's football friendly in nearly 10 years.
Japan's Miki Yamane and Daichi Kamada netted goals in the first half of the match played at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.
Wataru Endo rounded out the scoring late in the second.
The loss for the Taeguk Warriors could have been much greater if not for the goalkeeping from substitute Kim Seung-gyu in the second half.
Despite this, South Korea still hold a substantial edge in head-to-head records with 42 wins, 23 draws and 15 losses.
Head coach Paulo Bento said Japan deserved to win.
He said, "We didn't play anywhere close to the way we wanted to play. We were more aggressive in the second half, but the opponents were better."
The South Korean team was missing several key players, including their captain Son Heung-min, either due to injuries or quarantine rules in their clubs' countries.
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