Full S. Korean football squad starts training in Australia

SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) — The full South Korean football squad on Wednesday started training in Australia for two upcoming friendly matches.

South Korea, led by head coach Paulo Bento, had two training sessions at Perry Park in Brisbane, Australia, with all 24 players in attendance. The Taeguk Warriors are scheduled to face Australia on Saturday and will take on Uzbekistan three days later in Brisbane.

The men’s national team arrived in the Australian city on Tuesday but wasn’t able to train with the full squad as VfL Bochum midfielder Lee Chung-yong arrived late.

In the morning, the players had passing games and engaged in tactical drills. But some players were absent in the afternoon session because of travel fatigue. FC Augsburg midfielder Koo Ja-cheol and Kashima Antlers center back Jung Seung-hyun rested, and Pohang Steelers attacker Kim Seung-dae focused on recovering from lower back pain.

South Korea’s squad in Australia is missing key players like Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, Newcastle United anchorman Ki Sung-yueng and FC Tokyo defender Jang Hyun-soo. Bento said he wanted to test new faces and check whether they can adjust to the team’s tactics.

South Korea originally unveiled a 26-man roster for the November friendlies, but two players — Busan IPark right back Kim Moon-hwan and Hamburger SV forward Hwang Hee-chan — were cut due to injury. The national team didn’t call up replacements.

This file photo taken Nov. 12, 2018, shows South Korea national football team players and coaches posing for a group photo at Incheon International Airport in Incheon. (Yonhap)