Son Heung - Min and the stature of a big star

At the 2023 Asian Cup taking place in Qatar in early 2024, the Korean team competed in Group E including Bahrain, Jordan and Malaysia and only ranked 2nd in this group with 1 win, 2 draws for 5 points, behind Bahrain with 6 points. Many people know that this is the calculation of the German coach, Jugen Klisman, because if they win first place in Group E, Korea will face their annoying neighbor Japan in the round of 16 because this team ranked first in Group D.

From that result, many fans, Korean media as well as the continent criticized the German coach and Captain Son Heung-Min due to his insignificant role in the group stage matches. People then also criticized the fact that Korea tried to avoid Japan but had to face Saudi Arabia in the round of 16, which was like "avoiding a watermelon rind, meeting a coconut rind" and the reality showed that Korea had to sweat profusely to be able to overcome this opponent from the Gulf.

Experience in major tournaments also shows that teams that "warm up" early may not necessarily go the distance like the Netherlands in many World Cups, or in this Asian Cup, Iraq or UAE. Meanwhile, teams like Japan and South Korea, for example, entered the tournament slowly, winning, drawing and losing depending on the situation, meaning they were not in a hurry to exert their strength early, showing their face early and then being "read out" quickly in the knockout round. It was not until the quarter-final match against Australia that South Korea sent striker Hwang Hee-chan, who plays in the Premier League, into the match. It was also not until the round of 16 match that Japan sent Mittoma, who also plays in the Premier League, into the match for a few minutes at the end. That is, these teams still tried to save their trump cards to use at the right time for the final goal...

But for Son Heung-Min, the story is different in that he was deployed right from the group stage matches to lead the Korean players, mainly in the role of winger, occasionally playing in his preferred position as left winger. And of course, his task is to control the rhythm, regulate, not by all means to score a goal, unless assigned the task of taking the 11m mark. The media has since criticized this striker, but there are also people who understand that the group stage is not the time for Son Heung-Min to shine, but he certainly has a "habit" of proving his ability and role in important, decisive moments, the further he goes, the better he plays in all aspects...

Obviously, the Korean team has encountered countless difficulties in recent matches with Saudi Arabia as well as Australia. The Korean team has always been behind, overwhelmed in many situations and all the efforts of the players are increasingly narrowed as time gradually runs out. However, with extraordinary will, inspired by the captain who never accepts defeat when the ball is still rolling, the Korean players each try their best in every ball, every step, every smallest opportunity that opens up. And they were deservedly rewarded with a 1-1 equalizer in the 9th minute of 10 minutes of extra time in the match against Saudi Arabia, a 1-1 equalizer in the 6th minute of 7 minutes of extra time in the match against Australia...

The only difference in the two thrilling matches above is that in the match against Saudi Arabia when the two teams entered the penalty shootout, on the Korean side, Son Heung-Min was the pioneer to pave the way for victory for his teammates later. In the match against Australia, he was the one in an extremely deadlocked situation, did not coordinate as usual but proactively created an unimaginable moment of a big star. Son Heung-Min dribbled skillfully, covered the ball extremely tightly and created space to force the opponent to commit a foul in the penalty area. Miller's foul situation on the Australian side was similar to the situation where Minh Trong was awarded a penalty in the match against Iraq due to the opponent's cleverness against the immaturity of a young player.

With a clever and timely move from Son Heung-Min, the Korean team brought the match back to the starting line and rekindled the power of the Korean team that had been pressured and deadlocked before. Then, this team continued to exploit Miller's left-back position, earning a free kick from a powerful run by star Hwang Hee-chan. That was the opportunity for Son Heung-Min's excellent free kick, bringing Korea to the semi-finals of the tournament to the surprise, admiration, and admiration of opponents and fans near and far.

All expectations for Son Heung-Min have been met and he has proven that he is truly a tenacious player, shining brighter in the face of difficulties. A star moment is often enough to make a portrait of a great player, to make a great team famous. But with Son Heung-Min, 2 star moments, 2 moments of genius in a decisive match not only helped Korea from a deadlock and hardship in the group stage, the round of 16 to confidently enter the semi-finals, but also proved the leading role and versatility of this player, especially when contributing to the national team with a heavier role and task than at the club. That is an example for many Korean players and many colleagues in other football backgrounds of a great star, fighting with all his might to contribute to the home team, capable of shining in any match, any tournament./.