"Japan is completely different from Korea." World-recognized Korea-Japan gap captain Son Heung-min is adamant, "Japan? Not interested."

Oct 15, 2025

'Japan is completely different from Korea.' World-recognized Korea-Japan gap captain Son Heung-min is adamant, 'Japan? Not interested.'
A warm-up match between the national soccer team and Paraguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 14th. South Korea won 2-0 against Paraguay. Son Heung-min of the national team greets his fans after the game. Sangam = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.10.14/



'Japan is completely different from Korea.' World-recognized Korea-Japan gap captain Son Heung-min is adamant, 'Japan? Not interested.'
Overseas, he is also paying attention to the difference between Japan and Korea against Brazil.

In October's A-match, Japan made a huge upset. Japan came from behind to win a 3-2 friendly against Brazil at 7:30 p.m. on the 14th at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chofu, Tokyo. Japan became the first Asian country to win Brazil in the 21st century.

The whole world is in shock when Brazil collapsed in Japan. This has resulted in a stronger perception that Japan is the strongest in Asia. Before meeting with Japan, South Korea's 0-5 defeat by Brazil is becoming more comparable.




According to the Japanese version of Golcom, a global soccer media outlet, Zico, a Brazilian legend and former head of the Japanese national team, praised Japan. He "It was an amazing reversal. He scored three goals in less than half an hour. Such defeat under any circumstances is a warning. Never let your guard down. Japan's victory was natural. They are a great team. For example, it is completely different from the Korean national team. Japan is very competitive in recent years, and it would have been a good test for Brazil."

The Brazilian media UOL directly compared Korea and Japan. The media said 'It was a match against a team that was more complete than the Korean national team. The Japanese national team was organized and defended meticulously, evaluating that Japan has become a better opponent than South Korea.
'Japan is completely different from Korea.' World-recognized Korea-Japan gap captain Son Heung-min is adamant, 'Japan? Not interested.'
When looking at the results alone, it is true that there is a big conflict. Against Brazil, which used all of its core power, South Korea failed to use any power and suffered a disaster at home. If he lacked individual capabilities, he should have united as a team and faced Brazil, but as a team, he fell behind and allowed five goals down.

Japan, on the other hand, produced a dramatic drama against Brazil. Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti should take into account the rotation in the match against Japan, but it is difficult to undermine Japan's results.




Japan was dragged 0-2 against Brazil until the first half. He also created a threatening scene, but failed to properly keep up with the individual capabilities of Brazilian players. However, in the second half, Japan became a completely different team. It started with Fabrizio Bruno's mistake, but Japan was clearly scared. He scored three goals in an instant and lost Brazil's pride.
'Japan is completely different from Korea.' World-recognized Korea-Japan gap captain Son Heung-min is adamant, 'Japan? Not interested.'
A warm-up match between the national soccer team and Paraguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 14th. South Korea won 2-0 against Paraguay. Son Heung-min of the national team greets his fans after the game. Sangam = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.10.14/
Overseas, the gap between Korea and Japan has been evaluated against Brazil, but Korean players are not paying much attention to Japan's come-from-behind victory. When asked if he had seen the results of the match between Japan and Brazil in a meeting with Korean reporters after the match against Paraguay, South Korea's captain Son Heung-min answered briefly, `I'm not very interested.'

Son wanted to develop by focusing on Korea's problems rather than comparing Korea to Japan. "I think the part where we respected the opponent a lot has had a big impact on the outcome of the game. I told the players, tooSyfy, you have to get hit to know how you don't get sick. It hurt a lot, so now it doesn't hurt even if it hurts, and we have to pay attention to the things we can hit. I hope you prepare well for the rest of the World Cup," he replied.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.