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'You did a great job. Proud of you all!'
'Captain' Son Heung-min (33) sent a congratulatory message from England to his teammates who made miracles in Germany. It is obvious even without looking at how frustrating it must have been to win the precious victory in his absence and not play in the game.
Nevertheless, Son gave sincere congratulations and was proud of his teammates. Through his SNS, he wrote, "'I'm so, so, so, so proud of you all. Good job. Let's keep going!left a congratulatory message saying ' It looks like a 'great-grandfather'
Tottenham won 1-0 with Dominic Solanke's penalty goal in the 43rd minute of the first half in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals against Frankfurt at 4 a.m. on the 18th (Korea time). As a result, Tottenham, which drew 1-1 in the first round at its home stadium, dramatically succeeded in advancing to the semifinals of the Europa League with a combined score of 2-1. The semi-final opponent is the Norwegian league's winner, Bohd/Glimt, who beat Italy's Lazio.
When they were confirmed to advance to the semifinals, Solanke and James Madison, who scored the winning goal, and Christian Romero, who wore the captain's armband, hugged each other and cheered.
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But in this moment of joy, there was no appearance of Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min had to stay in England and watch the game on TV without even coming to Germany, where the game will be held at all.
The shocking news of the absence was announced the day before the game. Tottenham club reported on the 17th that Son Heung-min will miss the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals. The club announced on its official channel that `Son Heung-min has been removed from the away list because he still has pain in his feet.'
Coach Postecoglou, who led the team to Germany, also said in an official press conference a day before the match that `Son Heung-min did not accompany him on the road trip after all. Son Heung-min has had some foot problems in the past few weeks. I've been holding out well so far, but the pain has intensified over the past few days. I tried training yesterday, but I wasn't in good shape," he said, explaining the reason for the exclusion of the expedition.
The day before the announcement, a video of Son Heung-min participating in the team's training with a bright face was released on Tottenham's website and official SNS channel, so the shock was absolutely huge. The fact that 'Captain', who seemed to be fine, could not even accompany him on the expedition in one day has raised suspicions among fans.
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After Son Heung-min's absence was officially announced, Tottenham HQ raised suspicions, saying, `Son Heung-min had already been injured for a few weeks, but it is questionable why he was excluded ahead of the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals, which is the most important game of all time.' `Fans are not purely seeing this injury absence.' Some fans suspected the absence was a move to exclude Son from the team and sell him in the summer transfer market.
But this is just a hasty conspiracy theory. Both Postecoglou and Tottenham desperately need to win the Europa League. This is because the league and other cup competitions are already in a state of `devastation.' Not only for the future of the club, but also for profit, it must win the Europa League.
It's hard to even imagine deliberately excluding Son Heung-min from his power at a time when he has to pull and pour out all the power he has and doesn't have. It is reasonable to see that some fans are disappointed by the news of Son Heung-min's absence as 'brain official'.
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In fact, Son Heung-min injured his right foot in the first game. In the 32nd round of the league against Wolverhampton on the 13th, he was also excluded from the list of participants and rested. His condition improved for a while and he participated in team training on the 16th, but it seems that pain has occurred again since then.
They could have accompanied the away team and cheered, but in the long run, it is better to stay in England and take a rest. This is because Son Heung-min's strength is essential when he reaches the semifinals. It seems that Postecoglou left Son Heung-min in England to recover as soon as possible.
It was a decision that was close to adventure, but it was a huge success as a result. Son Heung-min bought time to recover for about two weeks until May 1, when the first leg of the semifinals will be held. In addition, the first leg is played at Tottenham home. If you return to 100% physical condition here and lead to victory, there is nothing better.
Even if he is sluggish compared to last season, Son Heung-min is still the core of the team's offense. He has 11 goals and 12 assists in 43 official games this season. He is also the top scorer in the Europa League with three goals.
Son Heung-min also knows well that Tottenham needs his strength to win. So I can congratulate my colleagues who reached the semifinals more generously and be proud without myself. In the congratulatory message, Son Heung-min's strong will to return as a troubleshooter in the semifinals is contained.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
