DOHA: Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min commended the resilience and creativity displayed by Harimau Malaya after Malaysia secured a remarkable 3-3 draw against two-time champions South Korea in the last Group E match of the 2023 Asian Cup.
Despite the disappointment of not securing a win, the South Korean skipper acknowledged the Malaysian team's relentless effort until the final whistle which saw Kim Pan-Gon’s side come from behind two times at the Al Janoub Stadium to bag the only point in the tournament.
"It was a tough result to take, but big credit to the Malaysian team. They fought until the end and I'm very pleased to see this Malaysian football as creative...Malaysia did a fantastic job...it was really good to see as football fans.
"We were disappointed with how we finished the game, but yeah the most important thing is we have a round of 16 and we moved on as most of the important games are coming ahead, so we have to prepare and be ready for the big games,” he said at a post-match press conference here.
Commenting further, Son hoped that Malaysia would continue to build positively on this result.
"Especially for the coach - I’m very happy and pleased. I hope they can continue to work positively after this result,” the 31-year-old player added.
In the thrilling match that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Malaysia pulled off the remarkable draw against South Korea, led by German coach Jurgen Klinsmann, when substitute Romel Morales found the net at the end of 15 minutes of added time.
Midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong drew first blood for South Korea in the 21st minute before Malaysia fought back to lead after 17 minutes in the second half with goals from Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim’s strike and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi’s penalty.
However, South Korea equalised with just 10 minutes of regulation time left through an own goal by goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, before taking the lead at 3-2 through Son’s penalty in added time.
The result meant South Korea remained in second spot in the group with five points while Malaysia ended the tournament with one point and the satisfaction of scoring three goals against one of Asia’s giants.
Bahrain finished as the group champions after beating Jordan 1-0 to amass six points but the defeat did not prevent Jordan, who have four points, from qualifying for the knockout stage as one of the four best third-placed teams. - Bernama
