Son Heung-min thanked his fans for the end of the 2024 A-match.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, drew 1-1 with Palestine in the sixth Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan on the 19th (Korea Standard Time).
The first one to go ahead was the Palestinians. Kim Min-jae’s back pass to Cho Hyun-woo was weak in the 12th minute of the first half, and Quenbar finished and cut the net. South Korea quickly tied the score. After passing through Lee Myung-jae and Lee Jae-sung in the 16th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min penetrated the goalkeeper with a right foot shot from inside the penalty box. In the end, the game ended 1-1.
On the day, Son appeared as left winger. He scored an invaluable equalizer, giving Hong one point. Besides scoring, he also threatened the Palestinian goal with his sharp attack. Furthermore, he scored a goal in this match, beating Hwang Sun-hong to become the sole second-ranked player in the number of A-match goals scored in Korea’s history.
According to Sofa Score, Son played full time, scoring one goal, 63 ball touches, 80 percent pass success rate (24 out of 30 attempts), two key passes, one cross (five attempts), four shots on goal, two blocked shots, four dribbles (10 attempts) and seven ground-contending attempts (13 attempts). The score was the highest at 8.3.
Son scored 10 goals while wearing the national team uniform in 2024. He also scored a goal in this year’s A-match, setting a new A-match record. Moreover, his A-match total number of 51 goals has increased to become the lone second-highest scorer in history, beating Hwang Sun-hong. He swallowed up his disappointment at the Asian Cup, but had a successful year afterward.
Son did not forget to thank his fans. “Thank you for having a happy year in the national team. Although it’s sadder than anyone else that we didn’t win the last game, we believe that this disappointment will make us even hungrier and grow!” Son said on his SNS account on the 21st. 메이저놀이터
“We were able to have fun and happy matches thanks to many fans in the two away matches. We will come back with good performances from our team and look forward to seeing our national team in March with a healthy face and a smile. Thank you all very much. Korea is the best,” he added.
Meanwhile, the team will resume its 2025 A-match series with Oman and Jordan, which will take place at home in March next year. Currently, the team ranks first in Group B with 14 points. Attention is focusing on whether Son will be able to announce the start of next year’s A-match with a goal.