▲ In this file photo from March 26, 2019, Son Heung-min of South Korea (R) battles Jeison Murillo of Colombia for the ball during their teams' friendly football match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)
▲ In this file photo from March 26, 2019, Lee Jae-sung of South Korea (R) celebrates his goal against Colombia with teammate Lee Chung-yong during the teams' friendly football match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

football-match

S. Korea to host Colombia in 1st men's football match under new head coach in March

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will host Colombia in a men's football friendly match in March for their new head coach's debut, the sport's national federation said Monday.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said South Korea and Colombia will square off on March 24. The venue and the kickoff time will be determined later.

The men's national head coaching position remains vacant following the departure of Paulo Bento, who led South Korea to the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in December before ending his four-year run. The KFA is hoping to name his replacement sometime this month.

The Colombia match will be one of two friendlies for South Korea next month. Per FIFA's international match calendar, teams can schedule up to two matches between March 20 and 28.

The KFA said the second match will take place around March 28 against a South American opponent. The KFA noted that European and African teams will be playing qualifiers for their continental championships, while most of the North and Central American teams will be competing at the CONCACAF Nations League.

Colombia check in at No. 17 on the latest FIFA rankings, eight spots above South Korea. They didn't qualify for last year's World Cup, though.

The two countries have met seven times, with South Korea having recorded four wins, two draws and one loss. Most recently in March 2019, South Korea prevailed 2-1 behind goals by Son Heung-min and Lee Jae-sung.

One of Son's teammates at Tottenham Hotspur, Davinson Sanchez, should make the Colombia team for the occasion, along with Liverpool winger Luis Diaz and Juventus midfielder Juan Cuadrado.

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