Son apologises to fans after South Korea's Asian Cup exit

Danny Ryan
LiveScore
Heung-Min Son could not add to his 44 international goals against Jordan
Heung-Min Son could not add to his 44 international goals against Jordan

Heung-Min Son issued an apology to supporters after South Korea were dumped out of the Asian Cup by Jordan.

Jurgen Klinsmann's side were the big favourites heading into the semi-final clash but were on the receiving end of a shock 2-0 defeat inside Qatar's Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.

South Korea had 70% of the possession but could not make that dominance count as they mustered just eight shots compared to 17 registered by their opponents with Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari grabbing second-half goals.

It is the first time Jordan have reached the final of the Asian Cup and the result is made all the more impressive by the fact they currently sit 87th in FIFA's world rankings.

For Son, it is yet more heartbreak on the international stage after finishing as a runner-up at the 2015 tournament.

The South Korea captain, 31, said after the game: "I don't know what to say really. I am so sorry.

"The players did their best. I'm very sorry that the game ended like this by mistake.

"The fans showed great support for us, I'm sorry that we couldn't deliver as our fans expected.

"I'll try harder so that the national team grows further in the future, again I'm very sorry."

South Korea boss Klinsmann added: "I am very disappointed, I'm angry because we should have done much better tonight.

"I'm certainly not going to be walking around tonight smiling. But there are reasons we lost this game and we should accept that."

Son will now return to Tottenham as the Asian Cup does not have a third-place play-off — and the forward could be available for the North Londoners' Premier League home match against Brighton this weekend.

As for Jordan, they will face either Iran or host nation Qatar in Saturday's final, with the two previous winners locking horns in tomorrow's semi-final.

Tags

South KoreaHeung-Min SonAsian Cup