Subtitled News: "33 Years Old, But Looks Older"... Harsh Criticism Pours In After 'Two Consecutive Games Without a Goal'

Foreign media outlets have poured harsh criticism on Son Heung-min, who failed to score in the second match against Mexico, following his scoreless performance in the first match against the Czech Republic.

The British newspaper 'The Guardian' pointed out that Son was repeatedly caught offside, commenting, "He is 33, but he looks older than that."

Son started in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Group A second match against Mexico, held in Guadalajara, Mexico, this morning (June 19), and played for about 57 minutes.

Starting as the lone striker in a 3-4-3 formation, Son attempted to exploit the space behind the opponent's defense, but despite his active movement, he failed to find the back of the net.

Around the 16th minute of the first half, he attempted a chip shot over the goalkeeper, but the play was ruled offside, and it was not recorded as a shot.

Consequently, Son was credited with zero official shots.

Substituted for Oh Hyeon-gyu around the 12th minute of the second half, Son struggled with a 75% pass completion rate, one key pass, and three successful dribbles, but his performance was deemed insufficient.

'The Guardian' criticized him, stating, "Son looked sluggish," and added, "At 33, he looks much older than his actual age. He struggled to break through Mexico's offside trap but failed to capitalize when opportunities arose."

Criticism regarding the quality of the match also emerged, as both South Korea and Mexico played cautiously. The British BBC commented, "It is no exaggeration to say this was the worst match of the tournament so far," adding, "We expected an exciting battle, but it ended with a result that fell short of expectations."

South Korea will play its third group stage match against South Africa on the 25th, with a spot in the Round of 32 on the line.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Lee Da-in | Design by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.