Son Heung-min 'Blooms' with Teammates... Record-Breaking Goal Set for Mexico Match

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Captain Son Heung-min, who expressed his desire to see the fruits of his team's labor "bloom" in the first match of the North and Central America World Cup against the Czech Republic, kept his promise alongside his teammates. However, after narrowly missing a few opportunities, the record for the most goals scored by a South Korean player in World Cup history will have to wait until the upcoming match against Mexico.

Reporter Seo Dae-won has the story.

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Son Heung-min, who pledged victory during the official press conference yesterday (June 11), said:

[Son Heung-min/National Football Team Captain (Yesterday's Press Conference): The players have prepared with such passion, and I really want to say that I hope those preparations will bloom into success.]

He entered the pitch with a determined expression, marking the start of his fourth World Cup campaign.

Wearing the captain's armband and starting as a forward, he utilized his signature speed to exploit gaps against the tall Czech defense.

Proving he is still in his prime, he reached a top speed of 35.2 km/h (21.9 mph), the fastest of any player on either team.

Son attempted a team-high six shots, threatening the Czech goal throughout the match. However, a sharp left-footed strike in the 38th minute went wide, and a shot after breaking through the defensive line in the 56th minute was blocked by the goalkeeper, leaving him frustrated.

After battling for 69 minutes and tormenting the opposing defense, Son continued to support his team from the bench after being substituted.

[Hong Myung-bo/National Football Team Head Coach: I believe Son Heung-min executed what we prepared perfectly. Son is currently in excellent form in front of the goal, so I am not worried about that aspect moving forward.]

Son, who scored one goal in his 2014 World Cup debut in Brazil and two in the 2018 tournament in Russia, currently shares the record for the most World Cup goals by a South Korean player with Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan. He needs just one more goal to set a new historic record.

Although he did not find the back of the net in the opening match, Son and his teammates successfully "bloomed" a thrilling comeback victory, and his sights are now set on the next match against Mexico.

(Video reporting: Hwang In-seok, Video editing: Park Jung-sam)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.