Even with his Korean team having far less at stake than China in their upcoming World Cup qualifying match in Seoul, captain Son Heung-min said Monday he wants nothing less than a victory.
Korea will host China at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in their final Group C match of the second round in the Asian World Cup qualification.
Korea, fresh off a 7-0 trouncing of Singapore last Thursday, have already secured the top spot in their group and thus a ticket to the third round, which kicks off in September.
China, on the other hand, need at least a draw Tuesday to join Korea in the next phase, or Thailand, currently three points back of China in third place, could leapfrog them.
Though Korea sit 65 places above China in the 한국을 FIFA rankings at No. 23, Son, captain for both the national team and Tottenham Hotspur, said he won’t take any team lightly.
“There’s no such thing as an easy match,” Son said at the prematch press conference at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. “For those of us in Europe, this is the last match of the season. So we want to have a good finish. Plus, our fans will expect nothing less than quality football from the team. No matter what, we absolutely have to win tomorrow’s match.”