South Korea 0 Bolivia 0: La Verde frustrate Son and Co

South Korea’s World Cup preparations took a hit in Austria on Thursday as they failed to beat an under-strength Bolivia, drawing 0-0 in their penultimate pre-tournament friendly.

Bolivia were limited to the number of players they could call upon from two of their biggest domestic clubs The Strongest and Wilstermann due to their Apertura title play-off, but they secured a commendable result in Innsbruck against a South Korea side looking unimpressive ahead of the World Cup.

South Korea had little difficulty exerting control in the first half and managed to carve out a few opportunities, with their physically imposing striker Kim Shin-wook looking a threat and seeing two headers go close.

Their dominance subsided after the interval, however, as substitutions disrupted the flow of the game.

One of those changes saw the introduction of star man Son Heung-min after an hour of play and he forced Carlos Lampe into a save eight minutes after coming on.

Shin Tae-yong’s side continued to press but they were unable to break down their opposition, who finished second from bottom in South American World Cup qualifying.

South Korea will hope for a better display in their final match before heading to Russia, Shin’s side taking on Senegal on June 11.