Shenzhen:
Son Heung-min scored a brace and assisted one goal to help South Korea beat China 3-0 in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament second stage here on Tuesday.
In the opening matches of Group C last Thursday, China rallied to beat Thailand 2-1 in Bangkok, and South Korea thrashed Singapore 5-0 at home.
On Tuesday evening, Asian football powerhouse South Korea showed dominance throughout the match with 65 per cent of ball possession and a total of 18 shots, 13 more than the host team.
South Korea broke the deadlock just 11 minutes into the match when Huwang Hee-chan fell in the box and the referee awarded the away team a penalty, which was converted by Son with composure.
Tan Long was close to finding the equalizer for China in the 42nd minute, but his close-range shot went off the near post.
Three minutes later, Son headed home his second goal from a corner, before the South Korean captain’s one-on-one attempt was saved by Chinese goalkeeper Yan Junling.
On 86 minutes, Jung Seung-hyun’s header went into the back of the net thanks to a precise free kick right cross from Son as South Korea sealed the 3-0 victory to lead the group with two straight wins.
In the other Group C match on Tuesday, Thailand secured an away victory over Singapore 3-1.
In the second stage of the Asian qualifying tournament, 36 teams have been divided into nine groups competing in a home-and-away round-robin format. The top two of each group will advance to the third stage. (IANS)