First steps on long journey for Korean football

A new era in Korean football started Thursday with a 3-0 win over Ecuador. It was not about the visitors from South America but very much about the home team. After Korea's terrible 2026, the Taeguk Warriors seem finally to be focused on football. Former coach Hong Myung-bo's disastrous showing at the World Cup led to the team's exit in the group stage, a parliamentary hearing and a police investigation. After all that, Robert Moreno has been selected as interim head coach for the next six games. After the friendly with Ecuador comes matches with Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan, followed by two more games in November that have yet to be arranged. If all goes well, Moreno — whose contract expires at the end of November — is likely to be handed the position for a longer term. Considering the team's recent lows, it would have to go quite badly for the Spaniard not to get an extension. This could include coaching the team for the Asian Cup in January, a tournament that Korea has not won since 1960. The question is whether Morena can stay for longer. His resume looks good on the surfac