“The first win is important and I think we got a difficult first win.”
Captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) was not satisfied and said the team should look at their progress in a positive light as they continue to work hard to become a better team.
Jürgen Klinsmann’s men earned a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in a European friendly at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England, on Wednesday morning (Aug. 13) with a goal from Jo Kyu-sung (Mitwillan). It was the first win under Klinsmann after five games, three draws and two losses.
Son Heung-min showed his versatility by starting up top with Cho Kyu-sung and then dropping to the left flank. He was brought down by a defender’s foot in the 35th minute, but referee Andy Medley waved away the penalty. On the way to the halftime locker room, Heung-min Son took the trouble to protest the situation to referee Medley.
When asked how it felt to win by one goal, he said, “I think it was a disappointing result to win 1-0. I’m very disappointed. For me personally, the first win is really important and I think I got a difficult first win. I think (Saudi Arabia) was a good opponent. I think they prepared really well and played a good match.”
Klinsmann had a dominant game. “Overall, if you look at the game, we dominated a little bit. In the second half, we were winning and they were being aggressive. Overall, we had a lot of chances, a lot of chances, and I think we could have had an easier game if we had converted them into goals, so I think that’s a little bit disappointing, but the most important thing right now is the first win. Hopefully, we can take this as a positive step in our journey,” he said, explaining that he hopes the team will be a better team now that they have broken their winless drought.
The lack of wins since Klinsmann’s arrival has been a burden. After the 0-0 draw with Wales, was the win against Saudi Arabia satisfactory and will it lead to gradual change? “I don’t think it will change overnight,” said Son Heung-min. The coach made it clear, but we’re still moving forward. We have important matches in October. I hope we can continue the good momentum with today’s result. As for the content of the match, I think we can do better. 카지노사이트 I hope we can improve in these areas,” he said.
Klinsmann’s men will be aiming to win the Asian Cup next January. The October doubleheader against Tunisia and Vietnam is actually the final test before the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup in November and the Asian Cup.
“It’s actually really short notice. A lot of things are going to happen in the next three months. It’s important for us to understand what the coach wants, what he’s looking for, the kind of football he wants to play. I think the most important thing is to really put it into practice. You think you have more time than you think, but you don’t have that much time. I don’t know who’s going to be called up in October, but it’s good to get the football he wants as soon as possible.