Al Ain: Son Heung-min was a relieved man after Korea Republic saw off Bahrain to advance to the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 despite a disappointing performance that saw the West Asian side take Paulo Bento’s team to extra-time.



The Koreans looked to be on their way to a comfortable win when Hwang Hee-chan put them in front two minutes before half-time but, after Bento’s side missed a string of chances early in the second period, Bahrain battled back to level through Mohammed Al Romaihi.

That took the game into extra-time, where a fine header from Kim Jin-su in stoppage time at the end of the first period won the match for the Koreans to set up their meeting with Qatar in the last eight.



“Not pleased with our performance and we know we can do better than that,” Son said after the game. “We’re looking forward to playing in the quarter-final and we know it’s going to be very tough game, like today. So we’re looking forward. We got the result.

“Of course, the performance was not great but sometimes you take the result and we’re looking forward to playing in the quarter-final.”

 


Match Highlights - January 22

The Tottenham Hotspur star joined up with his team for the final round of group games after a busy period over Christmas and the New Year with his side in England. Despite a hectic schedule, though, he stressed he was not feeling fatigued.

“It’s about the mentality, I think,” he said. “If you think you’re tired, then you’re tired. After the game I feel tired of course, but I will try to recover as quick as possible and play again. In three days I can recover.

“It’s the same when I play with Tottenham, I have to recover as quickly as possible and I’m looking forward to playing.”

Son has adopted the role as the leader of the team following the withdrawal from the squad through injury of Ki Sung-yueng, whose involvement in the tournament came to an end following a hamstring injury.

The Korean players dedicated the win to the Newcastle United man – who celebrates his 30th birthday on Thursday - and Son accepted that, while Ki’s absence is a blow to the team, it represents an opportunity for someone else to impress.

“He’s a big miss,” said Son. “He’s one of the best players in the team, in the squad. If he’s missing then it’s a big miss. Someone else has to be ready and bounce up and show good play and show what they can do. Of course we’re going to miss him.”


Source: the-afc.com