South Korea Secure 1-0 Win Over El Salvador As Lee Dong-Gyeong's Free-kick Seals Warm-up Victory

South Korea closed World Cup preparations with a tight 1-0 win against El Salvador, secured by Lee Dong-Gyeong’s free-kick. The national team added this result to the heavy victory over Trinidad and Tobago, building momentum before facing Czechia in the World Cup opener on 12 June.

Lee Dong-Gyeong again delivered in attack, following an assist against Trinidad and Tobago with the decisive free-kick on 57 minutes. Lee had already forced Mario Gonzalez into a save earlier in the half, finished with three shots, three chances created, and supplied three crosses for South Korea.

Myung-Bo Hong’s side started strongly as Hwang In-Beom drew a superb stop from El Salvador captain Mario Gonzalez, whose fingertip intervention prevented a top-corner strike. Later in the half, Hwang Hee-Chan sent a free-kick over, before South Korea finally translated set-piece pressure into Lee Dong-Gyeong’s curling winner.

South Korea controlled most attacking metrics but still lacked ruthlessness in the final third, recording an expected goals figure of 1.15 from 15 attempts, with seven efforts on target. El Salvador produced only three shots, generating 0.14 expected goals, yet South Korea needed Lee’s set-piece accuracy to secure the narrow scoreline.

This match closed an encouraging World Cup build-up, which also featured a comfortable win over Trinidad and Tobago where Lee Dong-Gyeong provided an assist. Approaching a first World Cup with South Korea, Lee pressed for a starting role against Czechia in eight days, while Seol Young-Woo led touches inside the opposition box with three.

The attacking reshuffle continued after the hour mark when Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-In came off the bench. The pair nearly combined seven minutes from the end, but the Paris Saint-Germain forward sent a late chance over, and South Korea protected the single-goal lead through the closing stages.

The Korea Football Association reflected the positive mood by sharing the result on social media, marking another clean sheet during preparations. The post highlighted the 1-0 scoreline against El Salvador on 4 June 2026 and underlined South Korea’s focus on the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign.

South Korea now move from warm-up fixtures to competitive focus, encouraged by defensive control yet aware of attacking areas to refine. Lee Dong-Gyeong’s accurate set-piece, support from Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-In, plus a solid structure under Myung-Bo Hong, provide a clear platform before facing Czechia on 12 June.