South Korean soccer icon Son Heung-min once again proved his worth with a multi-goal performance.
Lee Kang-in also helped his team to victory with a resilient performance.
Jürgen Klinsmann’s South Korea men’s national team defeated China 3-0 in Group C of the 2026 North American Football Championship Asia Second Qualifying Round at the Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, China, on Monday night, with captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) scoring a brace and defender Chung Seung-hyun (Ulsan) adding another.
South Korea maintained its lead atop the group with its second straight win, while China fell to 1-1.
South Korea continued to showcase its offensive firepower, including a 5-0 win over Singapore on Saturday.
Son Heung-min was involved in all three goals on the day, while Jung Seung-hyun rounded out the scoring with a late strike.
South Korea lined up with Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan) up front, with the “big boys” of Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) behind him. 호텔카지노
In the center midfield, Hwang In-beom (Zvezda) and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) took care of the defense.
The back line consisted of Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Jung Seung-hyun and Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan).
In goal was Kim Seung-kyu (Al-Shabab).
True to Klinsmann’s mantra of “taking as many points as possible,” South Korea got off to an early start, scoring the first goal in the 11th minute.
Hwang Hee-chan drove into the penalty area and earned a penalty kick, which Son Heung-min stepped up to the plate and slotted into the bottom left corner of the net. Son Heung-min scores his 40th A-Match goal.
With the lead in hand, South Korea shook the heavily defended Chinese camp with short passes and flanking runs, and added another goal in the 45th minute from a corner kick.
Son Heung-min headed home a low, hard corner kick from Lee Kang-in from the right corner, and the ball found the far corner of the net with the goalkeeper helpless.
It was the first time Son Heung-min had scored an A-match goal with an assist from Lee Kang-in, highlighting the combined play of Lee Kang-in and leading scorer Son Heung-min, who has risen to prominence under Klinsmann.
South Korea continued to dominate the game in the second half and were able to keep China at bay on the counterattack.
In the 42nd minute, substitute Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City) won a free kick near the opponent’s danger area, and Son Heung-min’s free kick was headed into the back of the net by Jung Seung-hyun.
After scoring his debut goal in his 19th international appearance, Seung-Hyun Jung embraced Son Heung-Min to share his joy.
China played a defensive-heavy game on the day, but also tried to counterattack frequently and played a bit roughly, earning four yellow cards.
Midway through the second half, Korea’s concentration and stamina began to wane, allowing China to get in front of the goal.
However, Korea pressed forward and kept their opponents at bay, and at the back, Kim Min-jae and others stood tall to secure a clean sheet.
Korea will play the third match against Thailand on March 21 next year.
