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| ReutersYonhap News |
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All 36 days of absence and injury concerns have been washed away.
Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) started the game for the first time in a long time and performed well. Son Heung-min started in the 37th round of the 2024-2025 Premier League against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on the 17th (Korea time) and played 74 minutes. Son Heung-min, who took seven games off due to injury after the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals against Frankfurt on the 11th, returned to the game as a substitute in the second half against Crystal Palace on the 11th and was included in the starting lineup. Son Heung-min raised expectations for his upcoming Europa League final performance by making a series of sharp moves to wash away injury concerns.
Tottenham put Son Heung-min in front of the matchday poster released a day before the match against Aston Villa. Coach Postecoglou also said at a press conference against Aston Villa on the 15th, `We'll see whether he starts or not, but Son Heung-min will definitely play against Aston Villa.' He showed good performance in the game a few days ago, and he had no problems with his feet. He trained well, so it is right to increase his playing time. He stressed that he could play as a starter and even if not, he would play at least half of the game.
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| APYonhap News |
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Son Heung-min's movement on the pitch wearing the captain's armband was cheerful. In the fourth minute of the first half, Son Heung-min, who quickly caught a pass that crossed into the back space of the defense, hit the left side of the penalty box. He failed to connect the pass because he was blocked by the defender's block, but he was able to score by connecting with a direct shot.
Son Heung-min, who was slowly raising his senses, attempted a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area in the 14th minute of the first half. It was a shot that narrowly went over the right post and crossbar.
Later, as Aston Villa took the lead, Son Heung-min began to devote time to joining the defense. However, in the 39th minute of the first half, he once again drilled the left side of Aston Villa with a sprint and even connected with a cross.
He also played the role of captain. In the fifth minute of the second half, Matistel and Sergio Reguilon tried to stabilize the atmosphere by stopping Aston Villa players and communicating with the referee. Son Heung-min moved between the left side and the center, helping Tottenham to develop its offense.
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Tottenham were in a disadvantage in the 14th minute of the second half when they lost a point to Ezri Konsa's header in a corner kick from the left side to Aston Villa. In the 28th minute of the second half, he gave up a left-footed goal to Boubacar Kamara near the right side of the arc. Coach Postecoglou called Son Heung-min to the bench after losing an additional goal.
Tottenham will play the Europa League final against Manchester United at Estadio San Mames in Bilbao, Spain on the 22nd. It is an absolutely necessary match for the captain Son Heung-min to play the role of a single-round match with the title at stake. This is all the more so for Tottenham, where Dejan Kulusevski is out of power after Lucas Beribal and James Madison. As Son Heung-min showed off his robustness through the match against Aston Villa, expectations for his performance increased further. The green light was also turned on for Tottenham's possibility of winning the Europa League, which had not had much to laugh about due to sluggish performances in the Premier League and injuries to its main resources.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
