2023-11-16 22:45:07
[골닷컴, 상암] Reporter Kang Dong-hoon = ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) was strong as expected. He fell down following receiving a ‘rough foul’ that might have resulted in serious injury. In fact, he mightn’t feel his legs for a moment, but he soon got back up once more. Son Heung-min did not give up, enduring the pain with his tenacity and mental strength to fulfill his role until the final whistle sounded and to lead his teammates as captain.
Son Heung-min met with reporters in the joint coverage area (mixed zone) immediately following winning 5-0 in the first leg of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifier Group C once morest Singapore at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 16th. “I mightn’t feel my legs, but I can’t give up the game just because it hurts,” he said.
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On this day, Son Heung-min led the attack by moving freely between the front line and the second line. However, he struggled with concentration from the beginning. In fact, when the ball was caught in the offensive zone, one or two Singapore defenders basically stuck to it. However, as time passed, Son Heung-min regained his pace and began to come back to life, and when Singapore suffered a series of conceding goals, he did not miss the opportunity and found the net.
Son Heung-min entered the area near the right side of the penalty arc circle in the 18th minute of the second half and kicked with his left foot without delay. The ball left his foot and landed in the upper left corner of the goal. At the same time, Son Heung-min scored a goal in his second consecutive A match, while also scoring the 39th goal of his career. The gap with Hwang Seon-hong (retired), who ranks second in all-time A-match scoring (50 goals), has been reduced to 11 goals.
Son Heung-min said, “Regardless of the result, it was not an easy game. He believes he achieved good results thanks to the players’ dedication and effort. “I think there will be more games like this in the future, and today’s game was good training,” he said. “I also gained confidence that I can create more attacking opportunities.” The first button is the most important and it was put on well. “I will forget regarding today’s game and prepare well for the next game,” he said regarding his victory.
He said, “I always seem to have confidence every time I hit a shot from that position. After hitting the shot today, the trajectory, power, and speed of the ball were very good. “I had a feeling that I was going to score a goal,” he said. “Luckily, I went to a good course. “I’m glad that I was able to contribute a little to the victory by scoring,” he said, looking back on the situation at the time of the goal.
On this day, Son Heung-min was kicked to the shin side by a rough back tackle by Shah Shahiran (Tampines Rovers) around the 36th minute of the second half. He immediately fell to the ground and complained of pain for a long time, and only got up once more following receiving treatment from medical staff. Fortunately, there were no major injuries, and Son Heung-min finished the game following playing the remaining time.
Immediately following the game, Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany), coach of the Korean national soccer team, indirectly criticized Shahiran, who committed a rough foul on Son Heung-min, with a dark expression on his face at an official press conference. Coach Klinsmann said, “I was quite angry to see such a foul being committed in a situation where the gap was widened to 4 goals. “It was inappropriate, and it was a foul that didn’t have to be made,” he said, complaining, “I got angry for a moment because I felt regretful that I really had to foul.”
Regarding the extent of the injury, Son Heung-min answered, “I’m fine now,” and then honestly said, “I don’t like lying down on the field for a long time, but at the time, I had a little feeling in my legs.” He added, “However, all players have pain and always play with minor injuries. I can’t give up the game just because I’m sick. “I can’t help it if I really can’t play, but as long as I can play, I will do my best until the end and do my best to be of help,” he said emphatically.
‘Golden Boy’ Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) performed brilliantly as a ‘solver’ on this day as well. In a situation where Klinsmann’s frustration continued as he did not score the first goal despite his fierce attack from the beginning, Lee Kang-in helped Kyu-seong Cho (Midtjylland) score the first goal with a sharp kill pass. He even scored a goal in the second half. In addition, he recorded multiple attack points in three consecutive games. With Coach Klinsmann’s full support, he ‘worked hard’ and established himself as Klinsmann’s ace.
Son Heung-min said, “It is a really good phenomenon to be able to give interest and joy to many people as a soccer player. “Kangin also feels a great deal of responsibility, and I am very grateful that many soccer fans like him so much,” he said. “While watching Kangin grow steadily at every moment on the field, I also feel like a soccer player and a person who plays soccer.” “It is very enjoyable and I think it will definitely have further growth value in the future,” he praised.
He continued, “As I said last time, Kangin’s talent is truly, truly unbelievably outstanding. However, everyone must help such a talented player so that he does not waver due to too much pressure,” he said. “I also want to help Kangin a lot by being by his side.” “I hope he can grow into a better player,” he said.
The Klinsmann will depart for China on the morning of the 19th following reorganizing its battle lines through two days of rest and recovery training. On the 21st, she will play the second match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round Group C match once morest China at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, China. China is notorious for its roughness, so we must be careful of injuries.
Son Heung-min said, “When playing soccer, there are always rough games. When we play once morest strong teams, we always talk regarding being rough. “Asian teams will definitely try to be rough when playing once morest us, and they will also try to make us angry and frustrated,” he said. “There is nothing to be afraid of because it is China, and if we play our way without getting caught up, we will definitely be able to have a good game.” I think so. “We will be able to bring good results,” he said, pledging victory.
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