Son Heung-min nearly sealed the game, hitting the crossbar seconds before full time → Opponent also says "a draw was lucky"... "SON exploited the space behind the defense"

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'Captain' Son Heung-min (LAFC) came close to ending the match just before the final whistle. Local media in the opposing team's region also assessed that New York City FC was fortunate to secure a draw.

On the 18th (Korean time), LAFC drew 1-1 away against New York City FC in a 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) match held at Citi Field in Queens, New York, USA.

LAFC took the lead first with a stunning free-kick goal by Leo Baez during stoppage time in the first half.

Son Heung-min also contributed to the process of the opening goal. Son Heung-min drew a foul from the opponent to win a free kick from a promising position, and Baez, who took the kick, aimed directly at the goal to score the opener.

Immediately after the goal, Son Heung-min ran over to Baez and embraced him tightly with both arms, sharing in the joy.

However, LAFC conceded an equalizer to Andres Perea in the 14th minute of the second half. Both teams subsequently sought additional goals, but the balance remained stubbornly intact.

In the final moments, Son Heung-min nearly emerged as the savior.

During stoppage time in the second half, Son Heung-min quickly penetrated the space behind New York City's defense. After entering the penalty box, he connected with a decisive shot.

The ball passed the goalkeeper and headed toward the goal, but it struck the inside of the post forcefully before bouncing away.

Had Son Heung-min's shot gone just slightly more inward, it could have become a dramatic winning goal as is.

Just seconds later, the final whistle blew.

New York local media also cited Son Heung-min's final shot as the decisive moment of the match.

US New York-based outlet AM New York assessed that "it was lucky for New York City to take one point."

It added, "In stoppage time in the second half, Son Heung-min led a counterattack. He advanced quickly and took a shot, but the ball hit the inside of the goal frame and bounced out."

It was also explained that New York City goalkeeper Matt Frizzell was already in a situation where it would have been difficult to respond to Son Heung-min's shot at that moment.

The outlet acknowledged, "Had Son Heung-min's shot gone just slightly more inward, it could have been LAFC's dramatic winning goal."

Another New York local outlet, the New York Post, also let out a sigh of relief.

The outlet reported, "New York City nearly conceded a winning goal to Son Heung-min in stoppage time in the second half," adding, "Son Heung-min quickly slipped through the space behind the opponent's defense and created a shot from inside the penalty box, but the ball hit the post."

Although he did not record an attacking point, Son Heung-min's presence was felt from the start to the end of the match. He directly won the free kick that led to the opening goal, and just before full time, he created a shot close to being a winning goal. Despite having no attacking points, it was a performance befitting an ace.

On this day, Son Heung-min received a rating of 6.6 from football statistics media outlet FotMob. He attempted one shot, which resulted in a shot on target.

He made 38 ball touches and completed 16 out of 22 passes accurately, recording a success rate of 73%. He attempted three dribbles, succeeding once, and also recorded three ball recoveries.

The rating from another statistics outlet, SofaScore, was higher at 6.9.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original