GiveMeSport
·2 February 2024
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·2 February 2024
Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min has gone viral after his touching gesture after South Korea's Asia Cup clash with Saudi Arabia. Jurgen Klinsmann's side progressed through to the quarter-finals after defeating the Saudis 4-2 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw.
The Tottenham forward, who captains his beloved national team, will be involved in the quarter-finals, with South Korea set to face Australia for a place in the final four. During the last-16 clash with Saudi Arabia, Son was involved in a clash with Ali Al-Bulayhi. The defender pushed the Spurs man in the chest while he wasn't looking and held his on the forward's head.
Al-Bulayhi, who has a bit of a history when it comes to taunting his opposition, didn't face any consequences, but it was Son who eventually had the last laugh after Cho Gue-sung's 99th minute equaliser led to South Korea winning in the shootout.
Son, 31, has played a starring role for South Korea in their run to the quarter-finals this year. However, despite his little scuffle with Al-Bulayhi, the Tottenham star has gone viral for another incident that took place in the showdown between the two nations.
In a penalty shootout, one team is going to come away disappointed and heartbroken. Despite scoring their first two spot-kicks, Saudi Arabia capitulated when it really mattered as Jo Hyeon-woo saved the following two penalty kicks before Wolves forward Hwang Hee-Chan scored the decisive kick to send South Korea into the next round of the tournament.
The three-time winners of the competition were left inconsolable after being dumped out of the tournament in Qatar. While Klinsmann's players wheeled away in celebration, Son was quick to show great sportsmanship.
Footage uploaded to Reddit shows the Tottenham forward consoling the opposition players after the penalty shoot-out, giving several members of the squad a hug and showing huge signs of respect following the dramatic showdown between the two top nations.
Son's viral moment was caught on camera and uploaded to social media not long after the penalty shoot-out. At first, the Tottenham man can be seen celebrating. However, he immediately saw how distraught the other team were following the mouthwatering clash in Qatar and then turned around and slowly approached the opposing side.
Despite clashing with Al-Bulayhi earlier in the match, Son was quick to give the defender a warm embrace after the match and the video shows that the pair were all smiles. The Premier League sensation was then eager to make his way around the rest of the team, shaking hands and hugging them.
Son's heart-warming act proved why he is truly one of a kind. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Saudi Arabia boss and former Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini. The Italian could not bare to see his side lose their penalty shoot-out and was spotted walking down the tunnel in a show of frustration after Abdulrahman Ghareeb missed his spot-kick.
Speaking after the game on why he decided to walk down the tunnel during the shoot-out, Mancini said, per ESPN: 'South Korea had two chances to seal the win in the last two kicks, so I left.'
Klinsmann's side will certainly be one of the favourites to go all the way in Qatar this year. His side got off to the perfect start on matchday one, defeating Bahrain 3-1. The result was then followed by a dramatic 2-2 draw against Jordan, with Son scoring South Korea's first. The side looked like they were on the verge of a defeat until Yazan Al-Arab scored in his own net in the dying embers of the game.
Son found the back of the net again in their final game against Malaysia, with both sides playing out a dramatic draw. The side finished second in the group with one win and two draws, which was enough to book their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
As alluded to, after a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia, South Korea managed to secure a famous 4-2 victory on penalties. Son and his fellow team-mates will face a tough test in Australia as they look to secure their place in the semi-finals of the tournament.