Son Heung-min Scores Twice as Korea Leads Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 at Halftime

Son Heung-min (LAFC) scored a goal for the national team for the first time in about six months, helping the Korea national football team lead 2-0 in the first half of the friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago on May 31 (Korean time).

Son Heung-min netted two goals in the first half alone—including one from a penalty kick—during the friendly held at South Field, Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, USA. With these goals, Son raised his career tally for the national team to 56 and closed the gap to just two goals behind former coach Cha Bum-kun, who holds the all-time scoring record.

Son Heung-min scores his second goal with a penalty kick in the friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago held on the 31st at South Field of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, USA. Photo by Yonhap News

Coach Hong Myung-bo deployed a 3-4-3 formation, positioning Son Heung-min as the leading striker. Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) and Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan) supported him as second-line attackers. Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk) and Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) anchored the midfield, while Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon) played as left and right wing-backs. The three-man defense consisted of Lee Gi-hyeok (Gangwon), Cho Yu-min (Sharjah), and Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), with Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan) guarding the net.

Son Heung-min took his first shot in the 6th minute of the first half. After earning a foul at the top of the arc, he took the free kick himself, but the ball ricocheted off the opposing defenders.

Afterward, the match flow became stagnant. Korea dominated the tempo but struggled to create clear scoring chances.

In the 31st minute of the first half, Kim Moon-hwan delivered a sharp cross into the penalty area, which was met by Baek Seung-ho’s header. Although it was on target, it went straight to the goalkeeper.

The first goal came from Son Heung-min in the 39th minute of the first half. Kim Jin-kyu lofted the ball over the opposing defensive line, connecting with Kim Moon-hwan. Kim Moon-hwan calmly played a low pass to Son Heung-min, who was making a run into the center of the box. Son slotted the ball inside with his right foot, and it deflected off the goalkeeper into the net.

Immediately after the opening goal, Bae Jun-ho drew a foul in the box during a subsequent attacking play. Son Heung-min converted the penalty kick, making it 2-0.

Korea dominated possession in the first half with 67%, registering 7 shots with 3 on target. Trinidad and Tobago managed just 1 shot and none on target.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.