Ivory Coast thrash South Korea in friendly in Milton Keynes

Ivory Coast saw off South Korea after a 4-0 win at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes.

In a World Cup warm-up match played in MK yesterday (28/03), the African side recorded a big win over the Asian outfit, with goals by Evan Guessand, Simon Adingra, Martial Godo and Wilfried Songo seeing the Elephants take the win.

With both sides having already qualified for the upcoming World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, the two sides were looking to use the game to refine their preparations for the tournament.

South Korea had some early chances, as Wolves’ Hwang Hee-Chan saw a strike just fly over the top before Oh Hyeon-gyu saw a drive hit the post.

But the West African side began to improve, and moments after they came close when Adingra saw a shot blocked, they would take the lead after 35 minutes. Godo was able to work the ball for Guessand, and the Crystal Palace striker prodded an effort past Korean keeper Jo Hyeon-Woo.

Emmanuel Agbadou nearly made it 2-0 for Cote d’Ivoire, only for Jo Hyeon-Woo to keep out his header from a short corner. The keeper then made another good stop to tip a strike from Guéla Doué over the bar.

South Korea nearly equalised when Seol Young-woo cut inside and saw a drive hit the post.

But after failing to take advantage of that chance, South Korea conceded a second in first half stoppage time. Winger Adingra, who plays for Monaco on loan from Sunderland, would do the honours, as he was able to get a pocket of space in the box before advancing and then firing a strike into the top corner.

Yahia Fofana in the Ivory Coast goal would make a decent save to keep out Oh Hyeon-Gyu just after the second goal.

South Korea made changes after the break to try and get things back in their favour, bringing on former Spurs star Son Heung-Min and PSG man Lee Kang-In.

But the Ivory Coast instead made it 3-0 just after the hour, as Strasbourg striker Godo turned in the rebound after Jo Hyeon-Woo denied Guessand’s initial strike at a corner.

Lee Kang-In would become the third South Korean to hit the post, but the Ivory Coast otherwise successfully managed the attempts by the Asian side to get on the scoreboard before grabbing number four late on.

With pretty much the final action of the game, Ivory Coast worked the ball to substitute Amad Diallo, and the Manchester United winger eluded his man before teeing it back for Galatasaray defender Singo to drill in the fourth and cap off a fine win for his side.

The two sides will continue their preparations ahead of this summer’s World Cup with one more match during the current international break. Ivory Coast will remain in the UK as they travel to Liverpool for a friendly against Scotland, while South Korea’s next assignment sees them take on Austria in Vienna.