What they talked about.
The South Korean national soccer team (ranked 27th in FIFA), led by Jürgen Klinsmann, lost 0-1 to Peru (ranked 21st in FIFA) in the June A match of the Hana Bank Invitational National Soccer Team Friendlies at Busan Asiad Stadium at 8 p.m. on Saturday. This brings South Korea’s record to one draw and two losses since Klinsmann’s appointment.
Son Heung-min’s availability was a big question mark. On the 12th, the first day of his call-up, Son focused on recovery training with the team after a weekend of K League matches. On the 13th, the reason was revealed. An official from the Korea Football Association said, “Son Heung-min underwent surgery for a sports hernia. It’s been two weeks, and he’s still recovering. The coach also believes that whether or not he can play depends on his recovery.”
Despite his recovery, Son was determined to play. An official from the Korea Football Association said, “He is showing a strong will. It’s been more than two weeks since the surgery, but recovery varies depending on the person.” In fact, Son fully participated in training on days two and three.
However, Klinsmann said, “For now, he’ll be on the bench. “He’s getting better every day, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow. He’s better than when he came in at the end of the season. I’m hopeful that he’ll be able to play, but we’ll have to see how he is tomorrow.”
On the day of the match, Son’s name was nowhere to be seen on the starting lineup, as Klinsmann had already announced. He watched the game from the bench. He was desperate to play. He kept getting up whenever he had a chance to score or a crucial moment. He would swallow his disappointment and put his hands on his head to show his frustration. He even gave advice to Park Kyu-hyun, who was about to make his A-match debut, when he came on late in the game.
After the game, Son was asked if he would be fit to play in the next match, and he replied, “I don’t know. I need to talk to the manager and consult with the coaching staff. There’s a lot of time left until Tuesday, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
For now, Son Heung-min was able to participate in the open training session on the 17th. Before the training session, Heung-min was seen having a serious conversation with Klinsmann for about five minutes. We don’t know what the conversation was about, but it could have been about his physical condition.
He participated in training as normal. He was grouped with players who hadn’t played the previous day or were substitutes and played mini-games. Afterward, he interacted with fans who attended the open training session.스포츠토토
Son signed autographs for 60 fans. Later, during the raffle, he gave away his soccer shoes, a towel he used, and the top of his training jersey. When some fans asked for his pants, he laughed and said, “No pants, please.”
Meanwhile, Klinsmann’s men will face El Salvador on June 20 at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium in their second June A match. They will be looking for their first win in El Salvador.