Son rises for Korea as they beat Colombia

Seoul, March 27: Tottenham Hotspur winger Son Heung Min did the star turn for South Korea as they beat Colombia 2-1 in an international friendly at home.

Without a goal for the national team since June, when he sprinted from the halfway line to slot home into an empty German net at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Son delivered one of his best performances in a Korean shirt as the home side saw off 12th ranked Colombia.

Scoring the opener with a ferocious right-foot shot from inside the box, Son was a constant menace to the Colombian defence, his pace and movement giving the Koreans the perfect out-ball during periods of sustained pressure.

Fyi, it's South Korea vs Colombia.

Lemme show you how Son Heung-min opens the scoring for South Korea against Colombia. 🌞🇰🇷

Well, South Korea beats Colombia 2-1. Congratulations! ✨✊ pic.twitter.com/ug7ZGKRNrP

— Yerimie. 🐢 (@KV_YERIM99) March 26, 2019

The 26-year-old, who now has 24 goals in 79 international appearances, said he felt his personal struggles in front of goal has been talked about more than the team's recent good run under Portuguese coach Paulo Bento.

The Koreans have won nine of their 14 games under Bento, who took over after the World Cup, their only defeat coming in the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup to eventual champions Qatar.

"I felt like I was being a distraction to the rest of the team, because people kept mentioning my name when talking about the national team," Son was quoted as saying in Yonhap news agency.

"I couldn't have scored the goal today without the sacrifices of my team-mates."

What Son Heung-min said about teammate Davinson Sanchez after South Korea's win over Colombia. https://t.co/4XsHWOG69J

— Tottenham News (@Spurs_fl) March 26, 2019

Son has mostly been used as a winger at international level but has been asked to play a more central role in Bento's experimental 4-4-2 formation against Colombia and Bolivia last Friday.

While he did not find the net against the Bolivians, Son was at the heart of Korea's most dangerous moves before substitute Lee Chung-yong popped up with a late winner in a 1-0 victory.

Son said he would play anywhere to help the team."On my club, I've played both as a striker in a two-forward setting and as a winger. No matter where the coach puts me, my job is to do the best I can in that position," Son said.

(With inputs from Agencies)