South Korean soccer icon Son Heung-min (Tottenham) performed a consolation gesture for Kim Seung-kyu (Al-Shabaab) after his daring ‘panenka kick’.
However, after the euphoric opening goal, Klinsmann was quick to criticize the team for conceding back-to-back goals.
Jürgen Klinsmann’s South Korean national football team drew 2-2 with Jordan in their second match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar 2023 group stage on Tuesday at the 텍사스홀덤 Assoumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
With the score at 1-2 going into stoppage time, Hwang In-beom (Zvezda) scored an own goal in stoppage time to earn a hard-fought point.
Speaking to the broadcasters after the game, Son Heung-min said, “There were so many situations where we conceded goals. We talked (among the players) about how we need to improve,” he said.
“We said that since we had time, they would have a lot of space and a lot of chances,” he said, adding, “I think we were fortunate to score the equalizer at the end.”
Son’s expression was grim as he struggled against the intense Jordanian pressure.
Son Heung-min had a smile on his face at the start of the game.
He rattled the Jordanian net to make it 1-0 just nine minutes into the match.
Four minutes into the match, Son rushed into the penalty box following a pass from Hwang In-Beom and was brought down by a tackle from Ehsan Haddad, and the referee awarded a penalty kick after video assistant referee (VAR) review.
Son stepped up to take the spot-kick and perfectly fooled goalkeeper Yazid Abu Laila, blasting the ball into the top center of the net.
With Abu Laila flailing to the side, the ball left Son’s feet and slowly trickled into the goal. It was a brave attempt at a penalty kick.
Son celebrated the goal with his trademark flick and a meaningful gesture.
The jersey of goalkeeper Kim Seung-kyu, who was unexpectedly dropped from the national team before the game, was raised.
After being presented with an armband by coach Jürgen Klinsmann, Son Heung-min did what any captain would do: comfort his fallen teammate.
Kim, who has been a mainstay of the national team since the days of former coach Paulo Bento, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in training on Nov. 18.
Son Heung-min was uncharacteristically ineffective against Bahrain, failing to find the back of the net despite multiple chances.
However, unlike the 3-1 victory in Bahrain, the team’s overall performance against Jordan was not as good as it could have been.
The goal was Son Heung-min’s 42nd goal in 119 A matches.
He is now eight goals behind Olympic coach Hwang Sun-hong (50), who is the second highest scorer in Korean men’s A matches.