Son Heung-min Becomes South Korea's All-Time Top Scorer with 59th International Goal in 2-0 Win Over Uzbekistan

Summary South Korea’s national football team clinched a 2-0 victory against Uzbekistan in an international friendly at Yongin Mireu Stadium, highlighted by a historic milestone for Korean football. Captain and talisman Son Heung-min opened the scoring just six minutes into the contest with a signature low-driven free kick that slipped past Uzbekistan's defensive wall and nestled into the bottom right corner. With this strike, Son netted his 59th career international goal in his 151st cap, officially surpassing legendary forward Cha Bum-kun (58 goals in 136 matches) to become the all-time leading male goalscorer in South Korean football history. For Korean sports culture, surpassing Cha Bum-kun—frequently revered simply as "Cha Bum"—is a momentous milestone carrying immense emotional weight. Cha dominated the German Bundesliga during the 1980s and has stood for decades as the ultimate gold standard of Korean football greatness. Son breaking this long-standing benchmark cements his status not only as a contemporary icon but as arguably the nation's greatest football figure of all time. Despite the early lead, the Taegeuk Warriors faced significant pushback from a well-drilled Uzbekistan squad led by Italian Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro. Uzbekistan dominated possession (54% to 46%) and outshot Korea 12 to 10, repeatedly threatening through dangerous set pieces and bicycle-kick attempts that demanded sharp reflexes from goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo. Korea ultimately weathered the storm and sealed the victory at the hour mark, when Oh Se-hun rose high to head home a pinpoint cross delivered from the right wing by Song Min-kyu. The match concluded a whirlwind four-game international friendly window for interim manager Robert Moreno, who recorded two wins, one draw, and one loss across the September and October fixtures. While the side secured convincing shutouts against Ecuador (3-0) and Uzbekistan (2-0), earlier stumbles—a heavy 1-4 defeat to Uruguay and a scoreless draw with Venezuela—leave Moreno facing scrutiny and critical evaluations as the squad prepares for upcoming Middle Eastern away tests in November.