BANGKOK – Son Heung-min’s bust-up with Lee Kang-in on the eve of South Korea’s Asian Cup semi-final loss to Jordan in February is all done and dusted now, and the Taeguk Warriors’ 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Thailand on March 26 was further proof of that.
In the 54th minute of the clash in Bangkok, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee slotted a neat pass to his captain Son at the edge of the box, before the Tottenham Hotspur forward wrong-footed a defender and smashed the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs from a tight angle for the team’s second goal.
Son’s first reaction was to turn to Lee, and the pair shared a warm embrace for all to see – a wholesome moment after Son was left with a dislocated finger from their Asian Cup rift and Lee had to make a public apology.
The victory meant that South Korea lead Group C on 10 points after four games, three ahead of China who beat Singapore 4-1, and are on track to progress to the third round of qualifying.
The Thais have four points and Singapore have claimed just one point so far.
“Kang-in deserves the love of many football fans,” said Son, when asked about celebrating his goal with Lee. “I am confident that he will become a great player. I’ve said it countless times, he is a player who will lead Korean football in the future. It’s been a while since I hugged and celebrated with him, it was cute (moment) and he played really well today.”
South Korea headed into the match on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Seoul last week and they were focused on the task on hand.
It did not take long for them to score, as Lee Jae-sung opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a tap-in from Cho Gue-sung’s cross, before Son settled the team’s nerves shortly after half-time thanks to his partnership with Lee.
Substitute Park Jin-seop then made it safe in the 82nd minute from a Kim Min-jae assist, and the Koreans went on to clinch three precious points.
On the win, Son added: “It was a difficult game due to the hot, humid weather and the different grass environment. But our players were able to take strides, one step at a time during the game.
“Today we were a team. It was a great game and I hope we can continue like this. Thanks to the fans who cheered us on until late.”
In Group F, Indonesia kept alive their hopes of advancing to the next stage with a 3-0 win over Vietnam. They are second in the group on seven points, five behind leaders Iraq who are through. Vietnam are third on three points.
Earlier in Group I, Craig Goodwin scored a brace on his return from illness, as Australia booked their place in the third qualifying round with a 5-0 rout of Lebanon at Canberra Stadium.
The forward, who sat out last week’s 2-0 win over the Lebanese while battling a virus, rocketed in a long-range strike after half-time and steered in the final goal in the 81st minute to the delight of a record crowd of 25,023 at the venue.
“Maybe I’ll have to be sick more often,” Goodwin joked.
“It turned out well, I had a good rest. I’ve had only a couple of training sessions before the game but I spoke with the boss and felt good, so he chucked me in.”
The other goals were scored by Kusini Yengi, John Iredale and an own goal by Bassel Jradi.
With their fourth straight win in the current phase, Graham Arnold’s Socceroos cemented top spot in their group. Palestine are second on seven points after a last-gasp 1-0 win over Bangladesh.
“It’s about taking opportunities to kill teams off, not letting them stay in the game,” Arnold said.
The match was Lebanon’s “home” qualifier, with the Asian Football Confederation requesting it be moved to Australia because of the instability in the Middle East due to the war in Gaza. AFP, REUTERS
