Son Heung-min: 'I couldn't do much in the victory over Vietnam'

South Korean striker Son Heung-min said he played normally, and the 6-0 friendly victory over Vietnam was mainly thanks to the efforts of his teammates.

At the Suwon World Cup last night, October 17, Son started despite concerns about injury - which kept him out of the friendly match against Tunisia 4-0 on October 13. Not only that, he played the full 90 minutes, scoring to make it 4-0 and creating many scoring opportunities against Vietnam.

However, the 31-year-old star does not think he made a special contribution. "I did not do much against Vietnam," Son told the Korean media. "It's not that I passed the ball perfectly or did anything, but because my teammates did very well, we had this resounding victory."

Son Heung-min celebrates his goal to make it 4-0 against Vietnam. Photo: Yonhap — Son Heung-min celebrates his goal to make it 4-0 against Vietnam. Photo: *Yonhap*

The 6-0 win was South Korea's biggest under coach Jurgen Klinsmann. It was also their third consecutive victory, after defeating Saudi Arabia 1-0 and Tunisia 4-0, while the previous five matches were all draws and losses.

Son said many people thought it was inevitable that South Korea would win against Vietnam, but that was not the case. According to him, the whole team was well aware that they had to enter the field with the determination to win big and that there were still mistakes that needed to be corrected. "The most important thing is to create many attacking opportunities against Vietnam's dense defense," Son said.

In this match, Korea controlled the ball 67%, launched 34 shots - four times more than Vietnam. However, their goal also wavered at times due to the shots of Truong Tien Anh, Nguyen Dinh Bac in the first half and Khuat Van Khang's free kick that hit the crossbar in the second half.

The moment Son Heung-min talked to the referee, allegedly protesting the red card that Bui Hoang Viet Anh received in the 60th minute because the Vietnamese midfielder did not commit a foul. Photo: Osen

Son limped off at half-time, but played the second half. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann wanted to take him off in the 60th minute, but the Tottenham star insisted he could play the rest of the game. "If you're worried about getting injured because you're constantly in contact and have a tough game, you shouldn't play football," Son said. "I like that kind of contact, and that's why I love football."

Finally, Son spoke out to defend coach Klinsmann against criticism about tactics and personnel arrangements. He believes that the German coach is being viewed negatively, instead he gives the players freedom on the field, to express their views on the general playing style. "Scoring 10 goals and not conceding despite the opponent, the team must be positive," Son said.

Son Heung-min shakes hands with Phan Tuan Tai after the match. Photo: Osen — Son Heung-min shakes hands with Phan Tuan Tai after the match. Photo: *Osen*

Son Heung-min is the captain of Tottenham, and is considered the best Asian footballer in history. Since the start of the 2023-2024 season, he has scored six goals, ranking second in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot - two goals less than Man City's Erling Haaland.

Son has played 114 times for the national team – seventh in South Korea’s all-time list, 23 behind the legendary Cha Bum-kun. He is also third in the all-time goalscoring list with 38 goals, 20 behind Cha.

After the match, many Vietnamese players came to shake hands and express their happiness at facing Son - a star they usually only see on television. Captain Do Hung Dung, Que Ngoc Hai and some members of the coaching staff stood at the entrance to the tunnel to wait to meet and take photos with the striker born in 1992.

Hieu Luong

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