▲ South Korean forward Oh Hyeon-gyu reacts to a missed scoring opportunity against Peru during the teams' friendly football match at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 16, 2023. (Yonhap)
▲ Bryan Reyna of Peru (L) scores against South Korea during the teams' friendly football match at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 16, 2023. (Yonhap)

S Korea-Peru-football

Depleted S. Korea fall to Peru in football friendly

By Yoo Jee-ho

BUSAN, June 16 (Yonhap) -- Missing their best offensive player and best defender, South Korea lost to Peru 1-0 in their men's football friendly match Friday.

Bryan Reyna's goal in the 11th minute stood as the winner for 21st-ranked Peru at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

South Korea, world No. 27, played without longtime captain Son Heung-min, who is recovering from a recent sports hernia surgery. Napoli defender Kim Min-jae, named the best defender in Serie A for the 2022-23 season, was also unavailable due to mandatory military training.

The loss left South Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann still searching for his first win here. In Klinsmann's first two matches in March, South Korea played Colombia to a 2-2 draw and then lost to Uruguay 2-1.

South Korea will next host El Salvador on Tuesday in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul.

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