‘Korea representative team ace’ Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) bowed his head again.

The soccer team led by coach Hong Myung-bo (56) drew 1-1 with Jordan in the '2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian Region 3rd Qualifying Group B 8th Match' held at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 25th.

Korea, ranked first (4 wins, 4 draws, 16 points), has drawn both home games and is now three points behind second-place Jordan (3 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss, 13 points). The early confirmation of Korea's World Cup qualification also evaporated.

Son Heung-min's poor performance contributed to the shocking draw against Oman. It is true that Son's form has dropped significantly compared to his peak. With 7 goals and 9 assists in the Premier League, Son is on the verge of ending a two-digit goal streak for the first time in 8 years. Tottenham is also languishing in 14th place in the league.

Of course, balancing the Premier League and the national team is not an easy task. Son Heung-min has devoted over 10 years commuting between Tottenham and the Korean national team. After coping with a packed schedule at Tottenham, he flies long distances to return home, where he plays as captain for the national team. He is the player with the longest travel distance in the world.

The match against Oman showcased uncharacteristic performance from Son Heung-min. He displayed an unusual number of mistakes. It was also surprising to see him fail to convert into a shot after not being prepared for Lee Kang-in's cross.

There was also a mistake by Son Heung-min during the goal-scoring scene. In the 35th minute of the second half, Son attempted a quick advancing pass. However, this pass was directed to Al Busaidi instead of a teammate. He exchanged possession with a teammate once and then struck to shake the net. Son did not show active movement after losing the ball. In the match against Oman, Son lost possession to the opponent 19 times.

After the match, Son Heung-min reflected, saying, "Today is a day of great disappointment for myself and I feel sorry for my teammates. There is barely enough time to be disappointed. I hope it becomes a game that serves as an opportunity for development."

Son Heung-min started as the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Jumin Kyu, who started against Oman, was excluded from the lineup due to fitness issues. Coach Hong Myung-bo deployed Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-sung, and Lee Dong-kyung in support of Son Heung-min.

Son Heung-min needed just 5 minutes to shed his slump. In just 5 minutes into the first half, a corner kick delivered by Son Heung-min led to Lee Jae-sung's opening header goal. Two friends from the 92 line teamed up for the first goal and celebrated.

However, Son Heung-min could not smile either. In the 30th minute of the first half, a mistake by Park Yong-woo allowed a counterattack from the midfield. Mahmoud Al-Mardi scored the equalizer.

Coach Hong Myung-bo substituted Yang Min-hyeok, Yang Hyun-jun, and Oh Se-hun in the second half, but it did not yield any results. In the end, Korea drew after scoring the opening goal at home in two consecutive matches. Korea's three consecutive draws meant that early qualification for the World Cup finals also evaporated.

Son Heung-min, fully feeling the responsibility as captain, could not smile even after the match. There was even a scene where he squandered a free-kick chance uncharacteristically. As Son Heung-min bears the responsibility for the team's results, the draw pains him more than a defeat.

[OSEN]