Will Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham), the captain of the national soccer team, be able to show 100% of his performance in this year’s last A match.
Korea, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will hold the sixth Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea, China and the U.S. at the Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan, at 11 p.m. on Wednesday (Korea time). Korea’s last A-match match in 2024 will be against Palestine, which ranks 100th in FIFA rankings.
South Korea played the first match against Palestine at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in September, drawing 0-0. European teams, including Son Heung-min, were all out, but they remained silent. Son Heung-min hit the post and missed a decisive chance. The poor grass condition of the stadium at the time was also the cause, but the overall performance was poor. He was silent against the independent goalkeeper for more than a year, drawing cold attention.
It is different now with the sixth round to play. Since then, Korea ranks first in Group B (4 wins, 1 draw, 13 points) with four consecutive wins in the third preliminary round. It is also far behind second-ranked Jordan and Iraq (eight points or more).
Son Heung-min, who returned from injury and won the national flag for the first time in two months, will try to score consecutive goals. He scored an additional goal through a penalty kick (PK) against Kuwait on the 14th, contributing to his team’s 3-1 victory. He tied for second place with Hwang Sun-hong, the coach of Daejeon Hana Citizen, as the 50th goal in the A-match.
According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Son put pressure on the opponent team’s defense from the highest position among Korea’s strikers. 43.6 percent of Korea’s offense occurred on the left side, where Son is located. Son Heung-min plays a large part in the national team. 먹튀검증
The main variable is Son’s physical condition. He only returned to the mound after taking two rest after suffering thigh injury in September. He played full time at Tottenham only once during the period. In response, Hong Myung-bo repeatedly said, “We need to protect him,” managing his playing time. Hong used Son only 64 minutes in the match against Kuwait.
After winning the match against Kuwait, Son said, “My team and the national team showed a lot of interest. Now I am in a very good condition. I want to show 100% performance in a good environment.”