Qatar Media "First Half Was Not Good... What Happened?"
Son Heung-min "We Did Our Best... I'm Proud of the Players"
In the Round of 16 match between South Korea and Brazil at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Son Heung-min of the national soccer team is raising his finger towards the players giving their best effort. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lee Gye-hwa] Son Heung-min (30, Tottenham Hotspur), captain of the South Korean national football team, showed a firm stance against a foreign journalist's rude question criticizing the performance of Korean players.
On the 6th (Korean time), Qatari media beIN SPORTS posted a video interview of Son Heung-min titled "Son Heung-min's thoughts on South Korea's elimination from the Qatar World Cup" on their official Twitter account.
In the video, the foreign journalist asked Son Heung-min, who had just finished the round of 16 match against Brazil, "Today was a very tough match. The first half seemed to be worse than the second half in terms of performance," and "Compared to the Portugal match, what happened to the South Korean players today?"
Upon hearing this question, Son Heung-min frowned and said, "No. We gave everything. Please don't criticize us like that." He added, "As you know, Brazil is a favorite to win. If we give them space, they score," and "I am very proud of our team players. Because our players gave their all, I don't want to blame a single player."
Brazil is a favorite to win... Proud of the players who achieved an amazing feat
The journalist mentioned that young players like Lee Kang-in and Baek Seung-ho were brought on in the second half and asked how captain Son Heung-min felt about this. Son Heung-min said, "As I said before, I am proud of them," and "It's not easy for young players to make their first World Cup appearance."
He added, "They did a great job for our country," and "I hope the young players don't stop and realize how important it is to play in the World Cup."
Baek Seung-ho scored a consolation goal in the second half of the Round of 16 match between South Korea and Brazil at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Photo by Yonhap News
Finally, Son Heung-min reiterated, "I am very proud and happy that the players did an amazing job for the national team and the country."
Led by coach Paulo Bento, the South Korean national football team lost 1-4 to Brazil, the FIFA-ranked number one team, and failed to advance past the round of 16. After conceding four goals in the first half, Baek Seung-ho scored one goal in the second half to reduce the deficit. However, despite injuries to key players such as Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, and Kim Min-jae, the team achieved the feat of advancing to the World Cup round of 16 away from home for the first time in 12 years.
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