Son scores, Suk debuts for FC Porto
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Tottenham’s Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring during his team’s English FA Cup third round match against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Wednesday. / Reuters-Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min scored a goal and fed another in his side’s 2-0 victory over Leicester City in an FA Cup third-round replay, while Suk Hyun-jun was close to making an impressive debut for FC Porto, Wednesday (local time).
In 83 minutes of action, in which the BBC described Son’s “best” moments for the Spurs so far, the 23-year-old forward scored his fifth goal of the season in the 39th minute with a thunderous right-foot strike from distance just outside the box on the right wing.
In the 66th minute, Son shone again to feed a pass to Nacer Chadli who doubled the lead. As Son from the center of the box delivered a precise through-ball that nutmegged defender Yohan Benalouane and collapsed the entire Leicester backline, Chadli on the left side rushed in to beat goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel with a point-blank left-footer. It was Son’s sixth assist of this season.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min vies for the ball with Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell during their teams’ English FA Cup match at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, Britain, Wednesday. / Reuters-Yonhap
“I shot with my strong foot, the right, and it was a great touch,” Son said on the Spurs’ website. “It was a very important game, and I’m so happy to score. Our team was very good in the game and I’ve seen in the eyes of our players they want to win this game.”
Son, who has been confined to the bench recently, displayed Wednesday’s play five games after Dec. 28 when he scored with a back-heel attempt in a Premier League game against Watford. Also, the Spurs avenged a 0-1 loss against Leicester City in a Premier League match on Jan. 13 and a bitterly fought 2-2 tie in their first FA Cup third-round match on Jan. 10.
In Miranda de Ebro, Portugal, new FC Porto striker Suk Hyun-jun made his club debut just six days after joining and came close to impressing fans, hitting the crossbar in his side’s 0-1 loss against FC Familicao in a Portuguese League Cup game Wednesday.
During the game, in which Porto players had dominated ball possession but were largely inefficient, Suk had a number of chances, but failed to convert them into goals. In the 85th minute, Suk hit the crossbar, after heading a cross from Victor Garcia.
A goal by Mauro, 58 minutes in, from a direct free kick, determined the final score.