Son scores twice as South Korea beat China
Son Heung-min scored twice as South Korea beat China 3-0 to maintain their perfect start to 2026 World Cup qualifying.
The Tottenham captain netted an 11th-minute penalty before heading home a second just before the break.
After thrashing Singapore 5-0 on Thursday, Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea side top Group C with six points.
Playing in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 40,000 in Shenzhen, Son kept his cool as he slotted his spot-kick past China goalkeeper Yan Junling to give South Korea an early lead after Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan was fouled.
Son, 31, was unmarked when he directed a deft header across the China goal and into the far corner to put South Korea in control, before he turned provider late on.
The defeat leaves China third in the group, behind Thailand, who beat Singapore 3-1 on Monday, on goal difference.
In Monday’s other Asian World Cup qualifiers, North Korea thrashed Myanmar 6-1 and Tajikistan thumped Pakistan with the same scoreline.
The top two teams from the nine groups progress to another qualifying stage for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
