Son Heung-min (Tottenham) who appeared in the mixed zone said, "It's okay. It's really nice." But I can't erase the concern that 'Is it really going to be okay?'
Son Heung-min continued to feel uncomfortable touching his left thigh from the beginning of the second half. I couldn't even break down. He held an uneasy 1-0 lead amid an 11-10 numerical inferiority.
Seven minutes into the match, Tottenham had Radu Dragosin sent off. It was a big bad news, but Brennan Johnson scored the first goal in the 12th minute of the first half and succeeded in changing the atmosphere.
Son Heung-min slumped only after Papesar's extra goal in the seventh minute of the second half and Dominic Solanke's net in the 23rd minute. Solanke's goal was directed by Son Heung-min. A sharp right-footed shot was caught in the opponent's goalkeeper's hand and flowed forward, and Solanke ran quickly and pushed it in.
Reuters Yonhap News
Reuters Yonhap News
Rebound scoring by shooting is not usually recorded as assist. However, it is recognized as an assist in European club competitions such as the Europa League and the Champions League. According to the UEFA regulations, if you score a goal with the last pass, cross, header, and shot, you will be granted assist. It is stated that even if a goal is scored with a rebound from the goal post or the ball hit by the opponent, it will be recorded as an assist.
Son Heung-min was replaced by Timo Werner in the 26th minute of the second half. He went straight into the locker room for treatment without sitting on the bench. The game ended as it was.
Tottenham won 3-0 in the first round of the Europa League (UEL) phase of the 2024-2025 season against KarabakhFK (Azerbaijan) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on the 27th (Korea time).
Coach Enze Postecoglou told a press conference after the game that `I have not spoken to Son yet. He said he was a little tired, but he hadn't spoken to him and the medical staff yet."
Reuters Yonhap News
Reuters Yonhap News
Still, management is necessary. Son Heung-min, born in 1992, is 32 years old. He is a series of commas-free journeys. Christian Romero and James Maddison rested on the same day, but Son Heung-min struggled.
If you overdo it, you can become a bigger painter. It could also be a fatal blow to Korean soccer, which is waiting for two consecutive A matches next month.
Currently, the players are shaking the world's soccer scene. There is even a possibility of a strike. Son Heung-min also raised concerns as a player representative at an official press conference in advance of the Karabakh match.
"Many players said the right thing. It was very important for someone to say that. Sometimes players have to come forward and speak. There are certainly a lot of games, but as a football-loving fan, the important thing is quality rather than the amount of games. We want to see quality games rather than as many games as possible. I don't want to see players suffer from injuries. No one wants that. A lot of games, a lot of movement. We have to manage ourselves, and sometimes it is very difficult. Playing without being mentally or physically prepared increases the risk of injury considerably. We are not robots. You have to manage these parts well, and it's certainly necessary to reduce the game. We need to aim for a better quality of play."
Reuters Yonhap News
Reuters Yonhap News
Son continued "We love soccer and enjoy playing games. That's clear. However, the problem is that there are many movements and games. Manchester City, for example, played on Sunday, played on Tuesday, and were not flexible. I could have moved it to Wednesday instead of Tuesday. So, it is natural that all players are exposed to the risk of injury. It's not fair. Rodri said the right thing, too. We're playing 50-60 games, and it doesn't make sense to play more than 70 games," he added.
Asked if he was willing to go on strike "It's different that he wants to go to the finals and play many games. But the current platform, or format, is geared toward playing more games. That's not the way to be considerate of the players. That is where we are talking. There are definitely parts that can be changed, and I think we can move in a positive direction so that we can take good care of the players."
