The Tuesday match between South Korea and China at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Guangdong, China culminated in a decisive 3-0 victory for South Korea. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – The Tuesday match between South Korea and China at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Guangdong, China culminated in a decisive 3-0 victory for South Korea. The triumph was spearheaded by a stellar performance from Son Heung-min, who notched two goals and an assist.
This clash marked the second Asian Football Federation Group C fixture in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Remarkably, the support of Chinese fans for the South Korean national team, featuring global luminaries like Son Heung-min, took center stage in South Korea. At Shenzhen Airport, hundreds of enthusiastic spectators gathered at the arrival gate, brandishing jerseys from European soccer clubs, posters adorned with players’ faces, and fervently chanting the names of stars such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in.
Chinese media reported on the surreal atmosphere, noting that it felt like a home game for the Korean national team rather than an away match.
Even Chinese media outlets were effusive in celebrating the Korean players. Xiamen China’s sports media highlighted, “South Korea’s roster boasts 13 overseas players, showcasing brilliant star power,” while Zhiboba emphasized, “As long as Son Heung-min was playing in the match, the Chinese team wasn’t going to score any points.”
Tencent Sports delved into the financial aspect, revealing that “South Korea’s national team players are collectively valued at €187.75 million (approximately 265 billion won), a staggering 17 times more than the Chinese national team.”
The warm reception by the Chinese towards the South Korean team can be attributed to the explosive popularity of Korean players in China. With Chinese soccer experiencing a prolonged downturn, figures like Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (27, Bayern Munich), who play for prestigious clubs abroad, have emerged as heroes among Chinese soccer enthusiasts. Son Heung-min, in particular, commands overwhelming popularity.
However, the nationalistic fervor among Chinese soccer fans has raised concerns. Instances of clashes with spectators donning European club jerseys have surfaced. Some Chinese fans were captured on camera vehemently booing and engaging in behavior tantamount to group assault against a male spectator wearing a jersey from Tottenham Hotspur, where South Korean national soccer team captain Son Heung-min plies his trade.
In the Chinese section of the stadium, reports emerged of Chinese fans shouting at, booing, and physically assaulting a spectator wearing a Tottenham Hotspur jersey. Footage circulated on Chinese social media depicting a confrontation between a Chinese national soccer team fan and a Chinese Tottenham Hotspur fan resulting in a fistfight, with a security guard rushing to intervene.
Meanwhile, Jürgen Klinsmann’s squad extended their unbeaten streak to five games across all competitions with the victory. Scoring 19 goals and conceding none, Klinsmann expressed satisfaction with a stellar report card for the team’s final match of 2023. His focus now shifts to the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar next January.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
