Son Heung-min chases outright South Korea scoring record against Uzbekistan
In short
Son Heung-min will try to take South Korea's men's all-time scoring record outright when South Korea play Uzbekistan in a friendly at Yongin Mir Stadium at 8 p.m. on Oct. 6. Dong-A Ilbo reported that Son has 58 A-match goals, level with former national team coach Cha Bum-kun, and needs one more to lead alone. The fixture is the last of the team's September–October schedule.
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Son Heung-min will try to become the sole all-time leading scorer for the South Korea men's national team when South Korea play Uzbekistan in a friendly at Yongin Mir Stadium at 8 p.m. on Oct. 6, according to Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo. Dong-A Ilbo reported that Son has 58 A-match goals and is level with former national team coach Cha Bum-kun, one goal short of taking the record alone. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Dong-A Ilbo said Son's 58th goal came in last month's match against Uruguay, when he turned in a Lee Kang-in cross from close range in the 35th minute of the second half with South Korea trailing 0-4. The report said it was not clear at the time whether the ball touched him, and that Son did not celebrate because he thought the cross had gone in directly; the record was corrected after the match and the goal credited to him. [ 1 ]
The Uzbekistan match is the last of the team's September–October fixtures. Dong-A Ilbo said the side beat Ecuador 3-0 on Sept. 24 in the debut match of interim coach Roberto Moreno, lost 1-4 to Uruguay on Sept. 28 and drew 0-0 with Venezuela on Oct. 2. Newsis photo captions placed the Ecuador match at Suwon World Cup Stadium, the Uruguay match at Seoul Sangam World Cup Stadium and the Venezuela match at Ulsan Munsu World Cup Stadium. Dong-A Ilbo said the coach's contract could run through the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia depending on results from September to November. [ 2 , 3 ]
Chosun Ilbo reported that the operator licensed to run Sports Toto, the betting pool issued by the Seoul Olympic Memorial National Sports Promotion Foundation, put tickets for the Korea-Uzbekistan match on sale. Dong-A Ilbo described Son as a Los Angeles FC player and as the team captain. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
A goal would make Son Heung-min the sole top scorer in the history of the South Korea men's national team, breaking the joint record he holds with Cha Bum-kun, and would give the team a positive end to its September–October run. Dong-A Ilbo reported that the interim coach's contract could be extended to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup depending on results in this period, which gives the match added weight beyond the friendly result.
Key facts
- Son Heung-min has 58 goals for the South Korea men's national team, level with Cha Bum-kun, and one more goal would put him alone at the top, according to Dong-A Ilbo. [ 1 ]
- South Korea play Uzbekistan in a friendly at Yongin Mir Stadium at 8 p.m. local time on Oct. 6. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo said Son's 58th goal came in last month's Uruguay match and was credited to him after a post-match correction. [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo said the team beat Ecuador 3-0 on Sept. 24, lost 1-4 to Uruguay on Sept. 28 and drew 0-0 with Venezuela on Oct. 2. [ 3 ]
- The match is the last of the team's September–October fixtures, according to Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reported that the licensed Sports Toto operator put betting tickets for the Korea-Uzbekistan match on sale. [ 4 ]
- Son Heung-min plays for Los Angeles FC and was described as the team captain, Dong-A Ilbo reported. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Son Heung-min is chasing the South Korea men's team all-time scoring record in the match against Uzbekistan. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- South Korea play Uzbekistan in a friendly at Yongin Mir Stadium at 8 p.m. on Oct. 6. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The Uzbekistan match is the last of the team's September–October fixtures. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- That Son Heung-min has 58 goals and is joint top scorer with Cha Bum-kun The figure and the name of the record holder appear only in Dong-A Ilbo; other documents refer to the record chase without stating the number.
- That Roberto Moreno is the interim head coach and that his contract may be extended to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia depending on results Named only by Dong-A Ilbo; no other document mentions the coach or his contract.
- Whether Son Heung-min will start or how many minutes he will play No document states lineup plans for the match.
- Son Heung-min plays for Los Angeles FC. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Dong-A Ilbo reports that Son Heung-min is one goal from passing Cha Bum-kun's record. [ 1 ]
- Newsis publishes its preview item with photo captions from the Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela friendlies. [ 2 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo publishes a preview naming interim coach Roberto Moreno and outlining the team's recent results and contract situation. [ 3 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports that Sports Toto betting tickets for the Korea-Uzbekistan match are on sale. [ 4 ]
- Kick-off for South Korea against Uzbekistan at Yongin Mir Stadium. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]