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| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
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Mauricio Pochettino, the coach of the U.S. national soccer team, who hugged his student Son Heung-min (LAFC) with a bright expression before the game, gradually hardened as time passed. Son Heung-min showed a performance that could cause a disaster for his teacher Pochettino when he was at Tottenham.
South Korea won 2-0 against the U.S. national team at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, at 6 a.m. on the 7th (Korea time) with consecutive goals by Son Heung-min and Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Chun).
Son Heung-min was the best player on the day. Ahead of the two consecutive games against the U.S. and Mexico, he proved the captain's qualification with his ability at a time when the possibility of replacing the captain was raised.
In the 18th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min, who cleverly penetrated the offside trap and was handed a sharp penetration pass from Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), who was born in 1992, scored the first goal with a sensational left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area.
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
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Former national striker Lee Keun-ho, who broadcasted the game on the day, said, "It's not easy to hit (shoot) to the other side when the chance comes." Son's strength is that he can shoot from any point without covering his left and right feet."
In the 43rd minute of the first half, Son Heung-min, who received Kim Jin-kyu's forward pass near the opponent's penalty arc, broke down the defensive wall with Lee Jae-sung and Lee Dae-il passes and gave up the pass to Lee Dong-kyung on the right side to avoid the goalkeeper who ran out. Lee Dong-kyung scored with a sensational left footed shot to give South Korea a 2-0 lead.
Son Heung-min, who played as a one-top player on the day, showed his 'World Class' for 63 minutes until he was replaced by Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) in the 18th minute of the second half. Son Heung-min scored his 52nd A-match goal in 10 months since the match against Palestine (1-1 draw) in November 2024. The record of Cha Bum-keun (56 goals), the top scorer in the history of the national team, has been narrowed to six goals.
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association |
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In particular, Lee Jae-sung's teamwork was outstanding in the game. The two showed off their best chemistry in the scene of de-pressuring in the Korean camp as if they had a prior communication and digging into the back space in the attack situation.
Lee Jae-sung helped Son Heung-min score the first goal, and even in the situation of Lee Dong-kyung's additional goal, he indirectly contributed to the additional goal through a play linked to Son Heung-min. He energized the offensive side until he was replaced by Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City) due to a thigh injury in the fourth minute of the second half.
Son Heung-min (135 A matches) and Lee Jae-sung (99 A matches) have played a total of 234 A matches so far. The duo, who have gone through a wild and aerial battle, will become a 34-year-old veteran during the World Cup finals. He is old enough to lose his skills, but he showed a much higher level of 'football power' compared to players who are as young as 10 years.
Commissioner Lee Keun-ho said, "(Son Heung-min) digs (space) like a ritual if Lee Jae-sung catches the ball. The timing is so good," he said, appreciating the chemistry between the two. South Korea won 2-0 in the second half with Bae Joon-ho, Oh Hyun-kyu, Castrov, Lee Kang-in, Jung Sang-bin, and Kim Tae-hyun in a row.
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| APYonhap News |
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Meanwhile, Pochettino bowed his head in a warm-up match in his own country. Coach Pochettino, who took the helm of the U.S. in September last year, suffered another painful defeat following losses against Mexico (0-2 loss) in October 2024, Panama (0-1 loss), Canada (1-2 loss), Turkiye (1-2 loss) in June, Switzerland (0-4 loss), and Mexico (1-2 loss) in July.
The player who gave the defeat was Son Heung-min, who had a relationship with his teacher as a disciple during his time at Tottenham, which would have been more heartbreaking. Jurgen Klinsmann, who led the U.S. and South Korean national teams in the past, is known to have been 'intuitive', but Pochettino is rated worse than Klinsmann, who led the U.S. from 2011 to 2016. On this day, he showed the worst game against South Korea and is expected to face fierce criticism.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
