Korea Wins 1-0 Against China
Chinese Fans Boo Korean Players
Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean national football team, became a hot topic for responding to the jeering Chinese supporters with a '3-0' hand gesture.
On the afternoon of the 11th, Son Heung-min started and played an outstanding role in the match against China in the 6th group stage match of Group C in the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian second qualifying round at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The match ended with a 1-0 victory, thanks to Lee Kang-in's (Paris Saint-Germain) first and decisive goal in the 16th minute of the second half. With this, South Korea finished the second qualifying round undefeated with 5 wins and 1 draw (15 points).
Son Heung-min Responds to Chinese Fans' Jeers with '3-0' Gesture
The match between South Korea and China in the 6th round of Group C of the 2nd round of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian qualifiers held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th. Son Heung-min is showing a 3-0 gesture towards the Chinese spectators who are booing. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The stadium was packed with spectators, including about 3,000 Chinese fans in the away section. The psychological battle with the Chinese supporters began even before the match. When Son Heung-min's name and face appeared on the scoreboard before the game, some were seen making obscene gestures with their fingers. During the match, the Chinese fans jeered every time the Korean players had the ball.
Around the 40th minute of the first half, when Son Heung-min showed a threatening presence in front of the Chinese goal, the jeering from the Chinese fans grew louder. Aware of this, Son Heung-min glanced at the Chinese supporters' section. Smiling, he held up three fingers on his left hand and made a zero with his right hand. This appeared to recall South Korea's 3-0 complete victory over China in the away match last November.
In response to Son Heung-min's gesture, Korean fans reacted with comments such as "As expected of Son Heung-min. The captain showed a classy response to the Chinese fans' excessive unsportsmanlike behavior," "His class is truly different," "Son Heung-min is also very clever," and "We are the country that has Son Heung-min." The scene also became a hot topic in China. During the match, the phrase 'Son Heung-min provoked' ranked high in the search rankings on the Chinese social networking service (SNS) Weibo.
"I Cannot Accept Jeering in Our Home Stadium"
On the 11th, at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Son Heung-min of Korea, who won 1-0 against China in the 6th match of Group C in the second round of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian qualifiers, is greeting the audience. [Image source=Yonhap News]
At the post-match press conference, Son Heung-min explained the reason for the '3-0' hand gesture, saying, "I could not accept them jeering like that in our home stadium." He added, "Our fans were also being disrespected, so as a player representing South Korea, I wanted to show something." He continued, "I did not do anything particularly deserving of jeers. Such things often happen during matches, and it is important to handle them without losing control. I think I accepted it calmly without getting excited."
While satisfied with the victory over China, Son Heung-min also expressed a bit of regret. He said, "It was not an easy match, but we showed a solid performance and played steadily without any dangerous moments," adding, "If we had capitalized on more chances, we might have won by a larger margin." He also expressed gratitude to interim coach Kim Do-hoon and the coaching staff who led the team for the two June A matches, saying, "Thank you for your hard work. We scored many goals and finished both matches without conceding."
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min played his 127th A match, tying with Lee Young-pyo for 4th place in the all-time most A match appearances. He narrowed the gap to 6 matches with Lee Woon-jae, who is 3rd with 133 appearances. The joint record for 1st place is held by Hong Myung-bo, Ulsan HD coach, and former national team coach Cha Bum-kun with 136 matches.
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