'Son Heung-min Substituted Again' Highlighted by Japanese Media: "Korea's Absolute Ace Remains Silent, Substituted After 12 Minutes of Second Half"

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), captain of the South Korean national football team, was substituted while failing to score in two consecutive matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, prompting Japanese media to report on the incident.

On the 19th (Korea time), the Japanese sports outlet Sports Hochi reported on South Korea's 0-1 defeat to Mexico in the second Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America qualifiers held at the Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, stating, "Absolute ace Son Heung-min was substituted without scoring after failing to capitalize on a decisive opportunity in the 12th minute of the second half."

Son Heung-min, who started as the forward in the first Group A match against the Czech Republic on the 12th, attempted a total of six shots but failed to score, and was substituted in the 24th minute of the second half by Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas JK). At the time, when a goal was desperately needed, foreign media also focused on the decision to substitute Son Heung-min, the team captain and ace. Coincidentally, Oh Hyeon-gyu, who was brought on in that substitution, scored the dramatic winning goal with a single shot.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo also started Son Heung-min as the forward in the match against Mexico on this day. Although there were suggestions that Oh Hyeon-gyu might be positioned at the front with Son Heung-min on the wing, similar to the second half of a friendly match held in the U.S. last September, Coach Hong deployed Son Heung-min at the center with Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) on both wings, just as in the match against the Czech Republic.

Son Heung-min also finished the match without playing even 60 minutes. He recorded no shots at all. There was a scene where he penetrated the space behind the defense and took a shot over the goalkeeper's head, but the defender cleared the ball off the goal line; however, an offside call was made, so it was not recorded as a shot. For 57 minutes, Son Heung-min touched the ball only 19 times. He successfully completed all three of his dribbles and won all five of his ground duels, but the expected attacking contribution never materialized.

After conceding the first goal in the 5th minute of the second half, Head Coach Hong Myung-bo made a change at the front line by substituting Oh Hyeon-gyu for Son Heung-min in the 12th minute of the second half, which was earlier than in the match against the Czech Republic. At the same time, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) was brought on for the wing, and the final substitution card was used for Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland) to launch an all-out attack, but they ultimately failed to score an equalizer.

Sports Hochi noted that the goal conceded immediately after the collision between goalkeepers Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) and Lee Gi-hyeok (Gangwon FC) was "a fatal error that allowed the winning goal," adding, "South Korea launched a full-scale attack only at the end of the match and created decisive equalizing opportunities after the 40th minute of the second half, but they were blocked by the super save of Mexican goalkeeper Raul Rangel (Chivas). Kneeling to Mexico, South Korea will now decide their fate in the Round of 16 in the final match against South Africa." The match between South Korea and South Africa will be held at 10 a.m. on the 26th at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.