Given the injuries at Tottenham, fans were understandably concerned about the sight of Son Heung-min limping around a Seoul pitch late in Thursday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier and then playing on until the end even though South Korea were already 4-0 up against Singapore.
The Spurs and former Australia manager, Ange Postecoglou, knows all about the conflict between club and country – as does South Korea’s coach, Jürgen Klinsmann. Postecoglou is unlikely to be the first Tottenham manager to wish South Korea used Son more sparingly but the player wants to play as much as possible.
“I am not the only one hurting out there. Everyone plays with some bumps and bruises,” said Son, who had earlier scored one of his trademark curling goals from the edge of the area. “Playing for the national team is a tremendous honour that I’ve always dreamed about. And we have to create our own path to the World Cup. I can’t just give up just because I am hurt.”
Such sentiments are music to the ears of Klinsmann. He still has doubters in Seoul and fans in north London but he may lose a few when he calls up his captain for the Asian Cup in January, a tournament South Korea have not won since 1960 and one the German has asked to be judged on.
Before that, there is still a huge game on Tuesday and if Son was prepared to play through a bit of pain against Singapore, he will do that and more this week in Shenzhen. China v South Korea is one of Asia’s biggest rivalries and its historic one-sidedness makes it all the more interesting.
China have appeared at just one World Cup, in 2002, and lost all three games without scoring while the Taeguk Warriors are on the road to an 11th successive appearance, a streak bettered only by Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain. The teams have met 36 times with China only winning twice. The domination from the east side of the Yellow Sea led to the Chinese media coming up with the term ‘Koreaphobia’, a term taken up and repeated with glee in Seoul.
The first defeat happened in a low-key tournament in 2010 with South Korea missing their European stars but the second was memorable. It came during qualification for the 2018 World Cup in the city of Changsha. At the time, relations off the pitch between Seoul and Beijing were frosty to the extent that the South Korea FA asked its Chinese counterpart to guarantee safety for visiting fans. The atmosphere was hostile and China deservedly won 1-0 in one of their greatest results, and the celebrations went on long into the night.
The rivalry with Japan is long and complex on and off the pitch but victory over South Korea on the big stage is sweet indeed. South Korea fans enjoy their superiority over China but a third loss in the last 10 meetings would kill the whole Koreaphobia thing off and would not do Klinsmann any good. This is his toughest test since taking over in February.
Compared to six years ago, South Korea have a deeper squad with Son not the only player shining at the highest levels. Hwang Hee-chan of Wolves also scored against Singapore, while the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich add style and solidity.
Now Wu Lei has returned from Espanyol, China do not have any players in Europe but their squad contains lots of experience and a Serbian coach, Aleksandar Jankovic, who has been in the country for five years. As the Chinese Super League, which has just finished an encouraging season, goes through something of a reset, there are concerns about the current standards. China cannot match the South Koreans in terms of talent but the work rate will be there, as will the desire and the physical challenge. There was plenty of aggression as the Reds won 2-1 in Thailand on Thursday, a fine result that puts them on the path to the next stage, and South Korea and Son are likely to get a rough reception on and off the pitch.
Tottenham’s talisman has already said that South Korea can mix it up when needed. “They may adopt a strategy of trying to irritate and frustrate us. As long as we can maintain our style of play, we can win. There is no need to be afraid of playing against China.” Son may not be afraid but there are plenty in north London who will be.
India’s biggest game in years
Much has been written about the progression made by India in recent years but there cannot be much of a better illustration than this: almost 13 years to the day after losing 9-1 to Kuwait, India went to Kuwait City in a vital World Cup qualifier and won 1-0. Beating their main rivals for the second spot in the group means the path to the final round of qualification is wide open now for the Blue Tigers for the first time ever.
Now they take on Qatar in Bhubaneswar in the state of Odisha, the unofficial sporting capital of India. A win against the Asian champions would be a huge statement, a draw would be a fine result and no shock.
“Kuwait are our strongest opponents for the second spot,” said coach, Igor Stimac. “To start with a win against them gives us a clear idea of what we need to do in the remaining games.”
Going into a game against Carlos Queiroz’s side, who have just thrashed Afghanistan 8-1, believing a result is possible shows how far India have come.
