The fortunes of East Asia’s three soccer nations diverged sharply. Japan beat world powerhouse Brazil, and China also won against Malaysia. By contrast, South Korea lost to Saudi Arabia. Among South Korea, Japan and China, South Korea was the only team that failed to secure a victory.
The South Korean national team, led by interim coach Robert Moreno, lost 2-3 to Saudi Arabia in an international friendly on Nov. 13 (Korea time) at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
South Korea conceded the opening goal in first-half stoppage time, then Oh Hyeon-gyu equalized two minutes into the second half. But they collapsed after conceding again in the 11th and 14th minutes of the second half. Lee Jae-sung scored a consolation in the 23rd minute of the second half, but the team could not complete a comeback.
The loss to Saudi Arabia was the first since Aug. 2005, about 21 years ago. Moreno’s record since taking charge is now two wins, one draw and two losses.
Captain Son Heung-min’s poor form was especially painful. He played the full 90 minutes and attempted two shots but recorded no shots on target. He also missed a crucial scoring chance and finished goalless.
By contrast, Japan beat Brazil 3-2 in a friendly at the Singapore National Stadium on the 14th, a day later.
Japan went ahead 2-0 with consecutive goals from Kubo Takefusa in the 15th minute and Nakamura Keito in the 19th. Brazil equalized with a brace from Vinícius Júnior, but Sakamoto Tatsuhiro scored a dramatic winner in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.
Japan avenged the comeback defeat it suffered to Brazil in the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup round of 32 about four and a half months earlier.
The matches also showed differences in play. Against Brazil, Japan had 42% possession and only eight shots but still produced three goals. Kubo, Nakamura and Sakamoto each converted one shot into a goal.
On the same day Japan beat Brazil, China also had reason to celebrate.
China beat Malaysia 2-0 in a friendly on the 14th at the Zhaoqing New District Sports Center Stadium.
In the 10th minute of the first half, Wang Yidong finished Lin Liangming’s cross with a header for the opening goal. In the 19th minute, Zhang Yuning scored a second after receiving a through pass from Wang Shangyuan.
China took a two-goal lead early and then held off Malaysia’s comeback to complete a shutout victory.
Of course, the three teams faced opponents of different strengths. By FIFA rankings, Japan faced No. 6 Brazil and China faced 133rd-ranked Malaysia. You cannot evaluate the difficulty of each match equally.
The results, however, are clear. Japan beat Brazil 3-2, China defeated Malaysia 2-0, and South Korea lost to Saudi Arabia 2-3.
Japan proved its competitiveness against a world-class opponent, and China beat a side ranked below it by FIFA. Only South Korea accepted the disappointing result of its first loss to Saudi Arabia in 21 years.
South Korea will play its second November friendly against Qatar on the 17th. Japan will also face Paraguay on the same day.
All three East Asian teams played A internationals, but only South Korea bowed its head. If they do not fix the defensive lapses and lack of finishing that showed up against Saudi Arabia, it will be hard to guarantee a rebound against Qatar.
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