Son Heung-min of South Korea celebrates after scoring against Singapore during the teams’ Group C match in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualification tournament at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 16, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 64,000 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium suddenly fell silent, so deafening after they’d been screaming at the top of their lungs for most of this Thursday night.
South Korea were leading Singapore 4-0 about 80 minutes into their World Cup qualifying match, when captain Son Heung-min took a kick to his right knee in midfield from Shah Shahiran, who received a yellow card for his action. Son stayed on the pitch for a few minutes, writhing in obvious pain, and South Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, usually the jovial type, admitted to being “really angry” on that play.
Son eventually shook it off and played the full 90 minutes of an eventual 5-0 win.
“I am not the only one hurting out there. Everyone plays with some bumps and bruises,” Son said. “Playing for the national team is a tremendous honor that I’ve always dreamed about. And we have to create our own path to the World Cup. I can’t just give up just because I am hurt.”
Son Heung-min of South Korea (R) high-fives teammate Jung Seung-hyun after scoring against Singapore during the teams’ Group C match in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualification tournament at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 16, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Son scored South Korea’s third goal earlier in the second half in a vintage display. He took the ball outside the right edge of the box, and then cut toward the center before firing a left-footed curler into the top left-hand corner.
“I’ve practiced quite a bit from that particular spot. I am always confident when I take shots from there,” Son said. “Maybe it’s become a habit. And seeing the flight and speed of the shot, I thought it was going to go in.”
In his typical fashion, Son deferred much of the credit to his teammates.
“Though it was a 5-0 match, it was not an easy one,” Son said. “We were able to get this result thanks to the commitment and hard work of the players. We’ll have many more matches likes this, and this match should serve as a good foundation.”
(Yonhap)
