'World Cup Pain' Mentioned by Son Heung-min: "A Complete Victory Against Ecuador Was a Comfort, Even If Just a Little..." [Suwon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

Captain Son Heung-min (LAFC), who led the decisive victory with a fantastic free-kick goal, passed the ball to his teammates in the mixed zone with a bright smile.

The South Korean national football team secured a 3-0 complete victory against Ecuador in a friendly match held at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 24th. Korea took the initiative with Oh Hyun-gyu's opening goal in the 9th minute of the second half and solidified its advantage just four minutes later with Son Heung-min's exquisite free-kick goal. From the left side outside the box, where the angle was almost non-existent, Son Heung-min curled the ball with his right foot directly into the far corner of the net, leaving the goalkeeper no time to react.

With this, Son Heung-min scored his 57th career A-match goal, coming just one goal short of Cha Bum-kun (58 goals), who holds the record for the most goals by a South Korean male footballer.

In the mixed zone after the match, Son Heung-min said, "As I mentioned before the game day, thinking about the World Cup hurts my heart too much. Fans must have felt the same way," and added, "I thought there was no other way but to show such courageous play on the field again."

He continued, "The best part today was that the players enjoyed playing on the field and had many conversations with each other. The preparation period was so short that I worried about whether things would go well, but we agreed to stick to the basics, and the players followed through well. I am happy that we could offer some comfort to the fans with a good game."

He also revealed the backstory of the fantastic free-kick scene that caught the goalkeeper off guard. Son Heung-min said, "Actually, I rarely thought about taking a shot from that position," and added, "Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) approached me and told me to take the shot directly. He said he would place players in front of the goalkeeper to disrupt their vision. When I checked the goalkeeper's position, I saw they were leaning heavily toward the near post."

He then said, "I shot into that empty space, and actually, luck was on my side too. While the trajectory itself required skill, luck also played a role in it being sucked precisely into the corner. Min-jae's contribution was significant. After the game, we laughed together and exchanged thanks," praising his teammate.

He also explained the background behind the three goals scored in the second half after overcoming the frustration of the first half. Son Heung-min said, "Football is a 90-minute game," and added, "To borrow a cautious boxing analogy, it is like building up by throwing jabs continuously in the early rounds to deliver a powerful straight later on."

Furthermore, Son Heung-min analyzed, "Since this was the first time implementing the new coach's tactical instructions in actual play, we needed time to adapt during the first 45 minutes. As the opponent began to tire in the second half, our desired play came out more comfortably, and as the opponent became impatient, goals were scored at appropriate timings, making things easier."

When asked about his feelings on being on the verge of breaking Cha Bum-kun's all-time scoring record, he smiled and said, "It seems the reporters are more concerned than I am."

Son Heung-min then asserted, "There is a lot of talk around me, so I cannot say I am completely unaware of it, but playing in the national team jersey has always been my greatest honor."

He continued, "The numerous goals I have scored for the national team so far were certainly not achieved by my ability alone. It was possible thanks to all the teammates who played with me, the coaches and staff who passed through, and the support of everyone. My first thought is always gratitude toward the teammates and staff who have dedicated themselves behind the scenes and the fans who cheered for us," he said emphatically.

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*This content was translated by AI.