SEOUL: Son Heung-min must forget his troubles with struggling Tottenham as South Korea look to clinch a place at next year’s World Cup, his national team coach said Monday.
Son came off the bench at half time to rescue a point for Spurs with a late penalty in a 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth on Sunday.
But the 32-year-old forward has enjoyed less playing time this season and scored just seven Premier League goals as the London club languish in the bottom half of the table.
South Korea can qualify for their 11th straight World Cup if they beat both Oman and Jordan in home qualifiers this month.
Hong Myung-bo named Son in his squad and said the national team was “a completely different setting” for his captain.
Hong insisted that Son’s attempts to help Spurs win their first trophy in 17 years would not affect his performances for his country.
“I don’t want to link the trophy drought with the national team,” the coach said.
“Of course we want Son Heung-min to do well at his club and for him to carry that form into the national team.
“I believe he will continue to do well moving forward,” he added.
Son has struggled with injuries this season and completed 90 minutes just five times since the turn of the year.
Hong said there were no guarantees that Son would start as South Korea face Oman on March 20 and Jordan five days later.
“There are many discussions regarding his recent form, including his goal tally,” he said.
“However, we must not forget everything he has accomplished so far. If he joins us this time, we will communicate about his role and work together to find the best approach possible.”
South Korea are unbeaten in the third round of Asian qualifying, having drawn twice and won the remaining four games.
Hong named a full-strength squad that also features Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in and Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan.
“I want to see a balance between the energy of the young players and the experience of the veterans,” said Hong.
“For that to happen, the younger players need to be confident and embrace the opportunity of being called up.”
Son must forget Spurs woes, says South Korea coach
https://arab.news/4yus5
Son must forget Spurs woes, says South Korea coach
- Son Heung-min must forget his troubles with struggling Tottenham as South Korea look to clinch a place at next year’s World Cup, his national team coach said Monday
‘Proud’ Saudi fighters Basahel and Albrahim bask in PFL MENA wins
- Duo spoke after victories at the Dhahran Expo in Alkhobar
- In the main event Mohammad Alaqraa defeated Badreddine Diani to become PFL MENA welterweight champion
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia fighters Malik Basahel and Ahmed Albrahim have revealed their delight at winning their showcase bouts at “PFL MENA Finals: All or Nothing” at the Dhahran Expo in Alkhobar.
The night also saw four new PFL MENA champions crowned as this year’s season ended.
“Thank God for everything,” Basahel (3-0) told said after his flyweight showcase win over Mahmoud Atef (5-4, 1 NC) by TKO at 3 minutes, 13 seconds of round one.
“Of course, I’m proud of this performance. On record, my opponent has a stronger record. But glory to God, I got the win. My hard work paid off, and what’s coming will be even better, God willing.
“The MMA scene in the Kingdom, especially in Dhahran, is developing and God willing, we’ll see more and more fighters.”
“For sure, the sport is developing, you can see it,” he added. “There are many fighters coming up, even in the amateur divisions. The national team too, Masha Allah, is truly one of the strongest in the world, not just in the Arab region but worldwide.
“Our young athletes, ages 15 to 18 are incredibly talented. Every year, the level keeps improving. PFL is coming here and Insha Allah there will be more opportunities. Thank God, we have many great things happening and a lot of progress.”
Meanwhile, Albrahim (AM 4-1) defeated Mohamed Nabil (AM 2-1) by TKO at 2:45 of round two in their amateur welterweight showcase bout.
“The Eastern Province has always been known for sports in general,” the Saudi fighter said.
“Many athletes have come from there across various fields; football, bodybuilding, and many other sports. The Eastern Province has always been a treasure when it comes to sporting talent.”
“The technique and the talent have been there for a long time, but the media never really highlighted it properly,” Abraham added.
“But as you can see now, the media has started to shed more light on it, and fighters are beginning to emerge. And honestly, there are many people better than me, many talents.
“But once the media shines a light, people finally see it. The Eastern Province is full of fighters, full of gifted athletes, and you will see more coming very soon, God willing.”
Abraham dedicated his win to his parents and brothers. “They have always encouraged me,” he said.
“My father was the first to say, ‘people will wonder how he will come back,’ but that actually motivated me. They kept supporting me while I was training.
“I hope they can see this video, and I dedicate this victory to them. I didn’t make this decision to join PFL until I was fully ready. I entered this fight with a professional mindset. We are ready — Saudi always shows up ready.”
In the main event, Kuwait’s Mohammad Alaqraa (10-1) edged out Morocco’s Badreddine “Dreamchaser” Diani (10-4) by unanimous decision after five hard-fought rounds to win the PFL MENA welterweight championship.
In the co-main event, Morocco’s Salah Eddine “Supersalah” Hamli (11-0) kept his undefeated record intact as he submitted Iraq’s Mohammad “Soulkeeper” Fahmi (6-1) in the second round to become the new PFL MENA lightweight champion.
Also, Islam “The Egyptian Zombie” Reda (15-1) scored a second-round submission victory over Algeria’s Yanis “The Desert Warrior” Ghemmouri (13-4) to become the PFL MENA featherweight champion.
In addition, Jordan’s Nawras “Honey Badger” Abzakh (15-6, 1 NC) needed just 36 seconds to submit Islam “Moksha” Youssef (7-3) of Egypt and capture the PFL MENA bantamweight championship.
