Korean soccer has failed to win the Asian Cup title for the first time in 64 years. The disappointment is all the more significant given that it was effectively the last Asian Cup held during the heyday of Son Heung-min (Tottenham).
The Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, was eliminated after losing 0-2 to Jordan in the semi-final of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Alayan, Qatar, on the 7th (Korea time).
“Captain” Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) failed to raise his head after the defeat. He kept saying “I am sorry” over and over again. Immediately after the match, he burst into tears. To Son, the result of the semifinal match was more than just a defeat.
For Son, this is the fourth Asian Cup. His first appearance at the event was at the Asian Cup in January 2011 in Qatar. He was only 18 years old at the time, but scored his A-match debut goal against India. It was the moment when a young player named Son suddenly emerged as a hope for Korean soccer. Is this the youngest goal scored in the history of the Asian Cup? It is ㅆ.
In the tournament, Korea lost to Japan in the semifinals after a penalty shootout, but won the third place by beating Uzbekistan in the third and fourth place matches. Although Son Heung-min did not win the championship, his chances of winning the Asian Cup seemed to be open.
Since then, Son has continued to challenge himself. At the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, Son confidently became the ace of the Korean national team. As he was in charge of the frontier attack, he scored three goals. Although Son knelt down to the host country Australia in a neck-and-neck race in overtime in the final, Son’s fighting spirit was enough to impress the entire nation.
The 2019 Asian Cup held in the United Arab Emirates was an alien dream for Son. Son failed to join the national team from the beginning due to an agreement he made with Tottenham during the Asian Games race. Instead, he flew to the UAE ahead of the third group match against China
He could not have been in good condition. He led the Korean team to two goals in the match against China, but Son’s performance in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, which are important, was not noticeable. In the three matches Son played, he recorded only two shots on goal.
No matter how hard it is, Son Heung-min, who rarely shows up, confessed after the tournament, “I’ve never been in good shape here. I never slept comfortably,” and his condition was at its worst.
Then came the fourth Asian Cup in his soccer career. Son had 12 goals in this season’s EPL, displaying his best performance ever. He joined the national team early on and had no problem with his physical condition. Strong juniors such as Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) were also by his side. It was a golden opportunity for Son to win his first Asian Cup title.
However, that wish went up in smoke again this time. In the quarterfinal match against Australia, the team struggled hard throughout the tournament, including inducing an equalizer penalty kick right before the end of the match and scoring the final goal of the free kick in overtime. Of the three goals Son scored, two were from penalty kicks and one from free kick.
Above all, it was painful not to show any remarkable performance in the semifinals against Jordan. Son Heung-min only caught the ball 15 times in the first half. The attack couldn’t work out well because the ball was not connected properly to Son Heung-min. Rather, I thought what if there was a simple play to connect the ball to Son Heung-min at once from the back.
Son has established himself as a world class that all soccer fans around the world know. He is also recognized as a top-class striker in the English Premier League, the world’s top league. He is a symbol of the development of Korean soccer.
However, Son will continue to be a sore finger. The next Asian Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2028. By then, Son will be 36 years old. Unless he announces his retirement from the national team or has a physical problem, chances are high that he will wear the national flag again then. 헤라카지노주소
However, there is no guarantee that Son Heung-min, who enters his late 30s, will show his peak skills or athletic abilities as he does now, so this Asian Cup is bound to be more regrettable.
“I don’t know if I will be able to continue playing for the national team. Coach Klinsmann might not think about me anymore. I don’t know what my future holds.” Of course, he did not mean to consider retiring, but he must have felt great disappointment and frustration through this year’s event.