Son scores first goal in 9 games under Bento

South Korea captain Son Heung Min ended his international goal drought last night as he scored to help the Taeguk Warriors beat Colombia 2-1 in a friendly.

Son, who has not scored for the senior national team since last year's World Cup, opened accounts for the hosts at the Seoul World Cup Stadium after just 16 minutes.

Receiving a fine pass from strike partner Hwang Ui Jo, Son unleashed a powerful shot to beat Colombia goalkeeper Ivan Arboleda, who was making his international debut.

It was also Son's first goal in nine matches under coach Paulo Bento.

Colombia equalised in the 49th minute through Luis Fernando Diaz, but midfielder Lee Jae Sung restored South Korea's advantage nine minutes later.

Deployed as a centre forward by Bento in a 4-4-2 formation, Son often faced off against clubmate and Colombia centre-back Davinson Sanchez.

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The 26-year-old, who has racked up 24 goals in 79 caps, played a similar role last week, but didn't find the net as the Koreans defeated Bolivia 1-0.

Yesterday's goal eased the pressure on Son, who has had to endure criticism from fans following a long dry spell.

Since scoring in a 2-0 win over Germany at last year's World Cup, he missed penalties in friendlies against Costa Rica and Uruguay, after leading the South Korea Under-23s to the Asian Games gold.

His dry spell extended to the Asian Cup in January, as favourites South Korea suffered a quarter-final exit at the hands of eventual champions Qatar.