Korea captain Son Heung-min demanded higher area circumstances on the nationwide group’s essential stadium in Seoul, following his group’s 3-1 win over Oman in a World Cup qualifier on what he mentioned was a fantastic pitch in Muscat Tuesday night time.
Son was concerned in all Korean targets at Sultan Qaboos Sports activities Advanced, as he netted the go-ahead objective within the 82nd minute and assisted the 2 different targets that bookended his marker.
The victory got here 5 days after Korea, ranked twenty third, settled for a goalless draw towards 96th-ranked Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
The pitch on the stadium, lengthy often called the mecca of Korean soccer, was noticeably bumpy and patch. And issues with area circumstances aren’t new for Seoul World Cup Stadium, which serves as residence of the Okay League 1 membership FC Seoul and likewise hosts nationwide group matches, music concert events and different non-sporting occasions all year long.
Son mentioned after the Palestine match that he and his teammates weren’t in a position to play at a excessive tempo due to the subpar pitch, and added pitch circumstances are sometimes higher for away matches than for residence matches.
That turned out to be the case Tuesday in Muscat.
“The sphere was in such glorious form that we performed with confidence,” Son mentioned in a televised interview. “I hope circumstances at our residence stadium (in Seoul) will proceed to enhance.”
As is his customized, Son deflected credit score and praised his teammates for his or her collective effort.
“Profitable by no means will get previous. And to maintain successful, everybody has to sacrifice and work exhausting,” Son mentioned. “And I feel everybody did their half at the moment, and that is why we had been in a position to come away with such a great consequence.”
This was Korea’s second Group B match within the third spherical of the Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. With Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait additionally in the identical group, Korea have eight extra matches to go till June subsequent yr.
“We’ll attempt to play the very best match of our lives each outing,” Son mentioned. “Asian groups have made a lot progress that as an Asian myself, it makes me proud. It was nice to play such a high-quality match, and we’ll should work even tougher. Whether or not we play at residence or away, I feel each match might be tough.”
Son mentioned Tuesday’s victory helped his group transfer previous the disappointing draw from final week.
“We did not get off to such a fantastic begin,” Son mentioned. “However after successful this tough away match, I really feel like we have change into a greater group.”
As captain of the group, Son mentioned he tried to assist his teammates regroup after the Palestine match.
“I attempted to steer by instance,” Son added. “Some gamers really feel the strain of being on the nationwide group. Clearly, we must always all maintain ourselves accountable. However I additionally informed the blokes that they do not have to hold their heads as a result of we had performed only one match.
“We’ve eight matches to go and which means we’ve eight extra alternatives to play our greatest,” Son continued. “If we are able to play with confidence like we did at the moment, I imagine we might be in good condition.” (Yonhap)