SEOUL-- South Korea defeated Ghana 3-1 on Saturday in the first of two tuneup matches for the Tokyo Olympic men's football tournament, despite playing a man down for more than half the contest.
Defender Lee Sang-min, midfielder Lee Seung-mo and forward Cho Gue-sung scored a goal apiece at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, lifting the 10-man South Korea to a comfortable victory.
These two countries will go at it again at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the same venue.
South Korean head coach Kim Hak-bum has said he would give minutes to every one of his 28 players in these two matches. Afterward, he'll finalize his 18-man final roster for the July 23-Aug. 8 Olympics. With 11 players in the starting lineup and the maximum seven substitutes, 18 saw action on Saturday.
South Korea's best performance at the Olympics is the bronze medal from 2012 in London.
South Korea started knocking on the Ghanaian door early, with speedy wingers Um Won-sang and Lee Seung-woo creating chances in the opening dozen or so minutes.
Lee Sang-min, the team captain and mainstay at centerback, opened the scoring in the 18th minute by heading down a Lee You-hyeon cross.
South Korea ratcheted up the pressure following their ice breaker, though the wind went out of their sails in the 39th minute when left fullback Kim Jin-ya got a direct red card for stepping on the right ankle of Joselpho Barnes.
Things opened up for Ghana after Kim's ejection, but South Korea weathered the storm to close the first half up 1-0.
Ghana looked dangerous at the start of the second half, but South Korea pushed back with two goals.
A pair of substitutes combined for South Korea's second goal in the 59th minute. Lee Seung-mo scored off a free kick taken by Maeng Seong-ung, only moments after they entered the match together. Lee's initial shot went off the right post but the midfielder poked in his own rebound for a 2-0 lead.
Striker Cho Gue-sung made it 3-0 about six minutes later. With his back to the net and defender Frank Amoabeng draped all over him, Cho trapped a pass with his chest before turning and firing a hard shot past goalkeeper William Emmanuel Essu.
Ghana got a goal back in the 75th minute, courtesy of Samuel Obeng Gyabaa, but South Korea limited further damage.
Source: Yonhap News Agency