The tenacious Son Heung-min broke through despite five blocked shots! Most shots + 8.4 rating... 'Well-received' first MLS goal in 237 days

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Heung-min (34), who scored his first league goal, received a top-tier rating.

LAFC secured a 3-0 victory in an away match against Los Angeles Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, California, USA, on the 18th at 11:25 a.m. (Korean time) in the 16th round of the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season.

With three additional points, LAFC moved up from fifth to third place in the Western Conference with 27 points (8 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses). Los Angeles Galaxy remained in ninth place with 20 points (5 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses).

Starting as a forward in a 4-3-3 formation, Son Heung-min finally scored his first league goal in the 12th minute of the second half. In a counterattack, he dribbled past the arc circle, exchanged passes with Mark Delgado and Lee Dae-il, and then struck a right-footed diagonal shot toward the corner of the goal. The ball found the bottom left corner of the net. Son Heung-min roared and celebrated the goal alongside his 'soulmate' Denis Bouanga.

With this goal, Son Heung-min recorded his third goal of the season and first in the league for the first time in over three months since the Cruz Azul match on April 8. His last league goal was a full 237 days ago, following the Vancouver match on November 23 last year. Son Heung-min's offensive points for the season so far stand at one goal and nine assists. Furthermore, he added the joy of his debut in 'El Trafico' and scoring his first goal in the match.

On this day, Son Heung-min led the team's attack with a total of six shots until he was substituted in the 30th minute of the second half. He took shots from outside the penalty box in the second minute after kickoff and again in the seventh minute of the first half, but both were blocked by defenders. A non-stop left-footed shot in the 42nd minute of the first half missed the goal. The fourth shot taken from the left side of the penalty box in the fourth minute of the second half was also saved by the opposing goalkeeper. The long-awaited goal came on his fifth shot, and immediately after scoring, he attempted another right-footed shot inside the box in the 15th minute of the second half.

According to football statistics specialist 'FootMob', Son Heung-min played for approximately 76 minutes and took the most shots (six) between both teams. He created two chances and maintained a high pass success rate of 97% (28/29). Additionally, he recorded three successful ground ball duels and five recoveries.

FootMob awarded Son Heung-min the third-highest rating among all players at 8.4. Bouanga, who scored a penalty kick goal, and Delgado, with one goal and one assist, received the highest ratings of 8.9.

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*This content was translated by AI.