Tough debut for Marcelo Gallardo as Ecuador's coach: South Korea thrashed the "Tri" 3-0

Marcelo Gallardo had a challenging start at the helm of the Ecuadorian National Team. In his first match as coach of the "Tri", the team lost 3-0 to South Korea at the Suwon World Cup Stadium in an international friendly.

The Ecuadorian team fielded a lineup with several players who had been starters during the last World Cup, but could not maintain their performance against a South Korean team that found spaces in the second half.

South Korea struck three times in the second half

The first half ended without goals, with Ecuador trying to maintain order and South Korea unable to translate its dominance into the scoreline. However, the dynamics changed completely after the break.

The home team opened the scoring following a good intervention by Kim Min-Jae, who initiated the play from the back. The ball ended up at the feet of Hyeon-Gyu, who managed to shake off his marker, cut to his right, and unleashed a powerful shot that surpassed the reach of goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez.

With the score at 1-0, South Korea gained more confidence and quickly extended the lead. This time, their main star appeared: Heung Min Son.

The forward took a free kick from the left side and executed a precise shot that went into the far post, out of Galíndez's reach. The ball ended up in the corner, making it 2-0 for the hosts.

The third goal sealed Gallardo's debut

Ecuador tried to respond, but could not score and ended up suffering another blow towards the end of the match.

The third goal came from Dong-Gyeong Lee, who had come on from the bench. The player received a through ball inside the area, controlled it, and after positioning himself for his left foot, finished accurately past Galíndez.

Thus, South Korea sealed the definitive 3-0 and left Gallardo with a defeat in his first appearance as Ecuador's coach.