Spurs' Son savours win as South Korea kickstart World Cup qualifying campaign

The skipper scored late in the second half in Muscat to help give the Koreans their first win of the third Asian qualifying round, after starting with a disappointing home goalless draw with Palestine last week. South Korea have endured a difficult week, with fans jeering new coach Hong Myung-bo before the Palestine stalemate and defender Kim Min-jae confronting supporters after the game.

Tottenham striker Son praised his team-mates for sticking together. "Winning never gets old," Son told reporters in Muscat. "And to keep winning, everyone has to sacrifice and work hard. "And I think everyone did their part today, and that's why we were able to come away with such a good result," he added.

South Korea opened the scoring when Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan pounced in the 10th minute, before Jung Seung-hyun's own goal pegged them back on the stroke of half-time. Son put South Korea back in front in the 82nd minute with a cracker before Joo Min-kyu added a third goal deep into injury time.

"We'll try to play the best match of our lives every time out," said Son. "Asian teams have made so much progress that as an Asian myself, it makes me proud. It was great to play such a high-quality match, and we'll have to work even harder."

South Korea's next game is on October 10 away to Jordan, who beat them in the Asian Cup semi-finals at the start of the year. The Koreans then face Iraq at home five days later. The top two teams from each group are guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup, with the third and fourth-placed sides going into a further round of qualifying.

"We have eight matches to go and that means we have eight more opportunities to play our best," said Son. "If we can play with confidence like we did today, I believe we will be in good shape."

 

September 10, 2024