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On Tuesday, Son Heung-min contributed two goals and an assist to South Korea’s 3-0 win over China in World Cup qualifying, marking their second consecutive victory.
In the 11th minute at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, the Tottenham striker received his first goal from a penalty kick after Hwang Hee-chan was fouled in the penalty area. Son then scored his second goal just before halftime with a header near the goal post.
Jung Seung-hyun scored the third goal with a header from a free kick by Son. “China also had chances to score,” stated Jurgen Klinsmann, who became South Korea’s coach in February.
“If we had allowed a goal in front of a crowd of 40,000, it would have been very challenging. However, scoring a goal boosted the atmosphere for our team.”
South Korea hopes to secure their 11th consecutive qualification for the World Cup, while China has their sights set on making it to the tournament for the second time.
The country of South Korea is striving for a spot in the 2026 World Cup.
In the Asian qualifying stage, South Korea is currently in first place in Group C with six points. China and Thailand are tied for second with three points each. Thailand earned a 3-1 victory over Singapore, who has yet to earn any points.
The final group stage will include the top two teams from each of the nine groups of four. In the 2026 World Cup tournament, Asia will have eight automatic spots, which is four more than in 2022.
The match between Iran and Uzbekistan in Tashkent ended in a 2-2 draw, resulting in both teams earning four points in Group E. Despite scoring two goals from Mehdi Taremi and Ramin Rezaeian, Iran, a six-time World Cup participant, was unable to secure a victory. Oston Urunov and Igor Sergeev’s goals helped Uzbekistan earn a point.
In Group A, Qatar, the host of the previous World Cup, secured their second victory by defeating India 3-0.
Additionally, North Korea won against Myanmar with a score of 6-1, the Philippines tied 1-1 with Indonesia, and Iraq emerged victorious with a score of 1-0 against Vietnam.
Source: independent.co.uk
