Son Heung-min hails young teammates for hard-fought win over Iran
2018/08/24 00:52
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By Joo Kyung-don
CIKARANG, Indonesia, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean football forward Son Heung-min praised his teammates for collecting a 2-0 win over Iran in the men's football round of 16 match at the 18th Asian Games on Thursday.
South Korea reached the quarterfinals by beating Iran 2-0 at Wibawa Mutkit Stadium in Cikarang, east of Jakarta. Hwang Ui-jo and Lee Seung-woo scored a goal apiece to give the defending champions stay on track for gold medal hunt.
Son, who serves as the captain of the under-23 team, said he is proud of what his young teammates have done against Iran.
"My young teammates worked harder than me," Son said to reporters in the mixed zone. "We all know Iran are not an easy team. But I believed in our players."
The Tottenham Hotspur star is one of the wild card members for South Korea at the Asian Games. The continental event is open to the players aged 23 or under, but teams can field up to three players who are older than that.
Son said he always tries to motivate the team as captain and keep the players alert in the match, so that they can avoid a result like the shocking 2-1 defeat to Malaysia in the group stage.
"I told the players that we're going to a war, not a football match," he said. "I know I still have to improve as a captain, but they're still young players and sometimes I have to motivate them."
Son said it was confidence that made the difference compared to other matches.
"I think we're picking up confidence," he said. "As the players believe what they can do, they're starting to show their skills on the pitch."
South Korea will next face Uzbekistan, the winners of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship in January, in the quarterfinals. Son said the players need to avoid making small mistakes.
"Small mistakes can make big differences," he said. "I think any of teams in the quarterfinals could bid to win the gold medal."
Son has been having a busy year -- he also played with the senior team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. When asked about whether he feels tired from his hectic schedule, Son said he has no solution but to overcome the challenges.
"I have to show an example to the young players and I have to overcome it," he said. "It feels less tiring if you win a match. I'll just eat and sleep well to recover my stamina and prepare for the next match."