Son Heung-min, Tottenham forward, scored two goals and provided an assist in South Korea’s clear victory (0-3) against China in a qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup held in Shenzhen.
This is the second victory of the team led by German Jürgen Klinsmann in the first two days of group C of the Asian zone after debuting on Thursday with a small hand against Singapore (5-0).
As he did in that match, Son opened the scoring against China in the 11th minute when converting a penalty after what Hwang Hee-chanfrom Wolverhampton, was fouled on the spot.
The son extended the lead before the break with a header overshot goalkeeper Yan Junling after a corner taken by Kang-in Lee (PSG). In the 87th minute, Son took the free kick Jung Seung-hyun heads to the net to establish the final 0-3.
Klinsmann emphasizes the importance of success
“China also had scoring opportunities,” said Klinsmann, who committed to the Korean team in February after relieve the Portuguese Paulo Bento once the 2022 World Cup ends in Qatar. “If we had scored in front of 40,000 fans, it would have been really difficult. Scoring a goal lowered the atmosphere.”
South Korea, that is seeking to qualify for a World Cup for the eleventh consecutive timeleads group C with 6 points ahead of China, who have only reached the final tournament once, and Thailand, who both have 3 points.
The two best teams from each of the nine groups of this second Asian stage will advance to the next qualifying round from which eight teams will emerge (a ninth will go to a playoff playoff) to represent Asia at the 2026 World Cup , a tournament where the number of participants will expand from 32 to 48.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
