South Korea Lose 3-2 to Saudi Arabia as 21 Years Without Defeat End

Two goals in three minutes undo South Korea

South Korea lost 3-2 to Saudi Arabia at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on November 13, 2026, ending a six-match unbeaten run against their Asian rivals. Goals from Mohamed Kanno in the 56th minute and Abdulelah Al-Amri in the 59th turned a briefly level contest into a defeat that South Korea's late pressure could not reverse.

Saudi Arabia, ranked 55th in the October FIFA rankings, beat a South Korean side ranked 32nd. Marwan Al-Sahafi opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time, Oh Hyeon-gyu equalized shortly after the restart, and substitute Lee Jae-sung brought South Korea within one goal in the 68th minute.

South Korea's previous defeat against Saudi Arabia came on August 17, 2005. Friday's result also marked the first time they had conceded at least three goals against the Saudis since a 5-4 defeat in an Olympic qualifying match on April 24, 1984.

Temporary head coach Robert Moreno now has two wins, one draw and two losses from five matches. His team next face Qatar on Tuesday, November 17, with little time to repair the defensive gaps and missed opportunities that shaped this defeat.

A difficult return after the leadership dispute

South Korea were playing for the first time since beating Uzbekistan 2-0 on October 6. The weeks between the two matches had been dominated by a disagreement involving some of the national team's most experienced players.

Hwang In-beom, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Min-jae reportedly threatened to retire from international football after the Uzbekistan match amid dissatisfaction with the leadership of captain Son Heung-min and fellow veteran Lee Jae-sung. None followed through, and Moreno selected all five for the November fixtures.

The five players issued a joint statement on Thursday after lengthy discussions, saying they had put their differences behind them. Son, speaking at a press conference on November 12 in his role as captain, asked for attention to return to football.

We talked and agreed on one goal and one direction, so I hope people will talk only about the national team's performance from now on.

Moreno started all of those players except Lee Jae-sung. Hwang Hee-chan combined with Son to create an early opening and later supplied Lee's goal, giving South Korea useful attacking connections among the players at the centre of the dispute. The wider team performance, however, still lacked speed and accuracy.

Saudi pressure disrupts the opening half

Moreno used a 4-4-2 formation, with Son and Oh Hyeon-gyu up front, Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Kang-in operating on the flanks, and Hwang In-beom alongside Park Jin-seop in central midfield. The numbers describe the outfield players arranged in three lines: four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards.

Saudi Arabia, coached by Georgios Donis, pushed players forward to challenge South Korea close to their own goal. This approach, known as pressing, aims to force a rushed pass or win possession before an opponent can build an attack.

South Korea struggled to pass through that pressure. Their own attempts to win the ball high up the pitch were uneven, while Saudi Arabia moved quickly into the spaces left behind. The match had been moved from Saudi Arabia to Qatar because of instability in the Middle East.

Hwang In-beom tested goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais early, and Son came close around the 20th minute after Hwang Hee-chan played him into the penalty area. Son's left-footed effort went narrowly wide of the right post.

Kim Seung-gyu kept South Korea level with a save from Al-Sahafi in the 28th minute. Near halftime, Kanno also tested him from distance, while Lee Kang-in forced Al-Owais into a stretching save at the other end.

A slip, an equalizer and a decisive Saudi response

Al-Sahafi broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time. Abdullah Al-Hamdan sent a pass through the defence into the right side of the penalty area, and Kim Seung-gyu slipped as he came out to challenge. Al-Sahafi took advantage and finished into the far corner.

Oh Hyeon-gyu answered less than two minutes after the restart. Seol Young-woo advanced down the right and delivered a low cross that Oh struck first time. The goal, his ninth for the senior national team, was allowed after a video review for possible offside.

Saudi Arabia regained control through a change made at halftime. Substitute Saud Abdulhamid drove forward on the right and helped create the opening for Kanno, whose shot went in off the post in the 56th minute.

Three minutes later, Al-Amri met Nasser Al-Dawsari's corner with a header at the near post. South Korea had gone from 1-1 to 3-1 down before they could turn their equalizer into a sustained spell of control.

Saudi Arabia's goals came through three different routes: a pass behind the defence, a run into the penalty area and a corner. South Korea therefore needed better protection both while the ball was moving and when defending a restart.

How the match unfolded

South Korea twice reduced the damage after falling behind, but Saudi Arabia never trailed. The decisive stretch came between Oh's equalizer and Al-Amri's header.

• First-half stoppage time: Al-Sahafi finished from Al-Hamdan's through ball after Kim Seung-gyu slipped, putting Saudi Arabia 1-0 ahead.
• Less than two minutes after halftime: Oh converted Seol's cross to make it 1-1.
• 56th minute: Kanno restored Saudi Arabia's lead after Abdulhamid's advance.
• 59th minute: Al-Amri headed in Nasser Al-Dawsari's corner for 3-1.
• About the 66th minute: Son shot over after an error by Al-Owais presented him with a clear chance.
• 68th minute: Substitute Lee Jae-sung finished Hwang Hee-chan's pass to bring South Korea back to 3-2.
• 79th minute: Al-Owais denied Lee Kang-in as South Korea searched for an equalizer.

Moreno made four substitutions shortly before Lee's goal. South Korea continued attacking through the closing stages, but the Saudi defence and Al-Owais protected the remaining one-goal advantage.

Son gets into position but misses his openings

Son's clearest opportunity came when Al-Owais sent an attempted pass straight to him inside the penalty area. With South Korea trailing 3-1, the captain fired over the crossbar.

His match statistics showed how often he reached dangerous positions without producing a shot on target. Son had nine touches in the opposition penalty area, more than any other player on either team, but both of his two shots missed the target.

Son completed 22 of 30 passes, a success rate of about 73 percent, created two chances and made eight ball recoveries. He was involved in South Korea's play, particularly through exchanges with Hwang Hee-chan, yet finished without a goal or assist.

Lee Kang-in also found Al-Owais difficult to beat. The Saudi goalkeeper stopped his attempt near the end of the first half and denied him again in the 79th minute after South Korea worked the ball into the penalty area.

South Korea's finishing and defending both contributed to the result. Oh and Lee Jae-sung converted their chances, but the team conceded three times and left other promising openings unused.

Lee and Hwang turn their connection into a goal

Lee Jae-sung made an immediate contribution after coming off the bench. Hwang Hee-chan reached the left byline and pulled the ball back for Lee to finish from close range in the 68th minute.

The goal linked two players who had been involved in the leadership disagreement. Their response was brief, with a quick acknowledgement before returning towards the centre for the restart as South Korea sought another goal.

Lee, the South Korea midfielder who plays for Mainz 05, explained afterward that the move mattered to him, though the defeat dominated his reaction.

I have been playing with Hee-chan a long time and I always hoped we would one day create a play like this," the Mainz 05 midfielder said. "I was really happy that we produced a goal together. But we both prioritized winning and it is a big letdown that we didn't get the result.

Hwang Hee-chan said he had wanted particularly strongly to win given the circumstances surrounding the squad. The South Korea forward described the difficulty of having to respond after conceding first.

We gave up the first goal and had to play catch-up the rest of the way," he said. "I tried to create more scoring opportunities up front but couldn't get it done.

Kim calls for help across the team

Kim Min-jae identified defensive lapses as an immediate issue before the Qatar match. The Bayern Munich defender said the forwards needed to help the defence and defenders needed to support the attack.

Speaking after the defeat, Kim called for a shared response rather than repairs confined to the back line.

I think we can all help each other in many different areas," the Bayern Munich defender said. "I think we had some lapses that led to the first two goals by Saudi Arabia. We have to fix those issues before the next match.

South Korea's pressing and passing problems were connected. When their pressure failed to stop Saudi Arabia's next pass, space opened behind them. When they regained possession but moved the ball slowly or inaccurately, they struggled to turn that recovery into an attack.

Kim also said the players' statement followed heartfelt conversations and expressed confidence in their relationship. Asked about the squad after the match, he said, "I think we have become one as a team."

Moreno faces Qatar with his future undecided

South Korea's next match is against Qatar at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on Tuesday, November 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. local time, or 11 p.m. in South Korea. Saudi Arabia will face Uzbekistan in their final match of the year.

Moreno's caretaker contract runs through November 27, and no renewal decision has been announced. The Korea Football Association said when appointing him in September that it would consider keeping him for the AFC Asian Cup depending on performances across his first six matches.

The tournament schedule has since changed. The Asian Cup was postponed from January to December 2027 because of security concerns in the host country, changing the timetable around the association's search for a permanent coach.

Friday's result left South Korea with five wins, nine draws and six losses in their historical record against Saudi Arabia. Their preceding six meetings had produced two South Korean wins and four draws, with matches settled by penalty shootouts counted as draws in that record.

The 21 years between defeats therefore covered six matches rather than annual encounters. Even so, Saudi Arabia's victory ended a lengthy run and gave Donis a win over opponents ranked 23 places higher.

For South Korea, Tuesday brings concrete tasks: protect the space behind the defence, compete more effectively at corners, move the ball faster under pressure and finish the chances their attacking players create. The players have publicly committed to working together. Qatar will be their next opportunity to turn that commitment into a better result.

Key Points

• Saudi Arabia beat South Korea 3-2 in Al Rayyan on November 13, ending South Korea's six-match unbeaten run in the fixture.
• Al-Sahafi, Kanno and Al-Amri scored for Saudi Arabia. Oh Hyeon-gyu and Lee Jae-sung scored for South Korea.
• Saudi Arabia scored twice in three minutes after South Korea had equalized early in the second half.
• The defeat followed a joint statement from five senior South Korean players saying they had resolved a leadership dispute.
• Moreno has two wins, one draw and two losses from five matches, with his contract running through November 27.
• South Korea face Qatar in Doha on November 17 at 5 p.m. local time, or 11 p.m. South Korean time.