"Overall, we dominated the match," Bento said. "Even with a 2-0 lead after the first half, we didn't lose our focus in the second half, and that led to a good result.

"I think we're going in the right direction," the coach said. "We still have room for improvement, but I believe we're on the right path. I want to make sure all the players understand where the national team is trying to go."

Bento shrugged off his record-setting undefeated streak, saying: "This only means we're getting closer to a loss."

Bento succeeded Shin Tae-yong in August after Korea Republic's group stage exit from the FIFA World Cup, which included defeating reigning champions Germany 2-0 in their final match.

The former defensive midfielder has quickly made his mark on the Taeguk Warriors, as they defeated Costa Rica 2-0 in Bento's debut on September 7 and then held Chile to a goalless draw four days later.

For those two contests, Bento made few changes from the FIFA World Cup squad, 17 of the 24 players having been in Russia for the tournament.

In October, Bento started leaving more of his own mark on the team, calling up players who had been missing from the national team picture for a few years and also bringing rookies into the mix.

The new-look Korea Republic upset World No 5 Uruguay, their first top-10 ranked opponents, 2-1 on October 12 and ended their winless record against the South Americans - they'd won none of the previous seven matches. On October 16, South Korea drew 2-2 with Panama.

For the Australian road trip, Bento didn't have the services of some mainstays.

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min was left off as part of a deal between the Korea Football Association (KFA) and the Premier League club. In exchange for releasing Son for the Asian Games in the summer, Spurs asked that Son be left out for November matches so he could remain with the club.

Lee Jae-sung, a playmaking midfielder, wasn't picked as he was recovering from an injury, while forward Hwang Hee-chan and defender Kim Moon-hwan were dropped after their call-ups, also because of injuries.

Despite these issues, Korea Republic closed out the year with a 1-1 draw against Australia on Saturday and a 4-0 victory over Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

With the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 fast approaching, Bento said he'll continue to keep an eye on players based in Korea Republic and Japan until the last minute before finalising his squad.

"The primary objective is to stick to our philosophy and style of play," Bento said. "I'll try to adjust our plans based on opponents without changing our principles."

Korea Republic, seeking a third AFC Asian Cup title, are in Group C with China PR, Philippines and Kyrgyz Republic in UAE 2019.

Sources: Korea Football Association, Yonhap, AFP