SOREANG (Indonesia), Aug 20 — Son Heung-min fired South Korea to a 1-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan today to keep his side on track for the Asian Games gold he needs to avoid military service.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward volleyed home from a narrow angle beyond the back post from a 63rd-minute corner, sending his team into the knock-out stages with a laboured win.
Son is skipping Premier League action to play at the Games in Indonesia, where gold would exempt him from Korea’s mandatory two-year military service — which could derail his career.
South Korea were all but certain to reach the knock-outs prior to kick-off, as only an 11-goal loss to Kyrgyzstan would have prevented their passage.
Nonetheless, the Spurs forward made his first start of the competition, captaining a strong side picked to banish memories of Friday’s shock 2-1 defeat to Malaysia.
The defending champions dominated but couldn’t break through in a lacklustre first half, with Son firing a free kick on the edge of the box straight into the wall.
But Son sparked his team into life with his goal just after the hour-mark to ensure a tough last-16 clash with fellow World Cup contestants Iran.
Son skipped the opening 6-0 romp over Bahrain after arriving late in Indonesia, due to his appearance in Spurs’ Premier League opener at Newcastle, and came off the bench against Malaysia.
A few hundred flag-waving Koreans in the stands roared with approval as Son’s name was announced in the starting line-up.
Their chants of “Victory Korea” resonated around the sparsely attended SI Jalak Harupat Stadium, high among the mountains of western Java, 70 miles (113 kilometres) from host city Jakarta. — AFP
