'Son Heung-min had zero shots → played full time in grueling match' | LAFC coach on 0-4 crushing defeat: "It's a man's duty to maintain dignity, but..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), who played at an altitude of 2,670 meters in Mexico, received the lowest rating and bowed his head after failing to register a single shot. The team suffered a four-goal defeat, ending their hopes of reaching the final, but after the match, LAFC coach Marc Dos Santos adopted an excuse-laden attitude in post-game interviews, focusing more on criticizing the opposing bench than addressing the reasons for the loss.

On the 7th (Korea time), LAFC suffered a 0-4 defeat in the second leg of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals against Toluca (Mexico) at Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca, Mexico.

Having won the first leg at home 2-1, LAFC allowed a comeback with an aggregate score of 2-5 across both legs, abandoning their dream of the club's first-ever championship.

Key striker Son Heung-min played the full 90 minutes but fell into severe formlessness, failing to take even a single shot. According to football statistics specialist 'FootMob', Son Heung-min recorded 35 ball touches, a 70% pass completion rate (16/23), and two chances created, receiving the lowest rating of 5.3 among all starting players from both teams.

It was a disastrous defeat. LAFC, unable to adapt to the high-altitude environment, struggled from the first half against Toluca's relentless attacks. The match was one-sided, with LAFC outshooting Toluca 4 to 18 in the first half. Moreover, the balance collapsed immediately after the second half began when Ryan Hollingshead conceded a penalty kick. Toluca added another goal with a long-range shot by Lopez in the 12th minute of the second half, and the team completely fell apart when defender Fortes was sent off in the 40th minute of the second half. In particular, Son Heung-min showed heavy movements throughout, even providing the opportunity for a goal by losing possession to Paulinho in stoppage time of the second half.

Meanwhile, the LAFC coach continued to make remarks that seemed to shift blame for the defeat to external factors during the official post-match press conference. He stated, "We played eight matches in this tournament and were excellent until the second half today. However, the second half was like a nightmare." He added, "We conceded a penalty kick right at the start of the second half, and by the time we conceded the third and fourth goals, everything had already collapsed."

Following this, Coach Dos Santos vented his frustration at Toluca's bench. He said, "I wish luck to the opposing coach Mohamed and Toluca, but their bench at the end of the match looked like a circus." He continued, "I am a person of integrity. I know how to win and how to lose. Maintaining dignity when winning is a quality of a strong man. What they did after the match today was nothing more than clowning around," unleashing a colorful barrage of criticism.

Regarding the missed critical opportunity in the first half, he expressed regret, saying, "When facing a venue and opponent like this, you must score when chances come, but LAFC failed to do so."

When asked whether the high-altitude environment and stadium atmosphere had an impact, he drew a line, stating, "I heard people call this place hell, but as a Christian, my concept of hell is different. This place was like Disneyland."

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*This content was translated by AI.