Son grabs brace as Korea beat China for 2nd straight win in World Cup qualifiers

Son Heung-min of South Korea celebrates after scoring against China during the teams' Group C match in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualification tournament at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre in Shenzhen, China, Nov. 21. Yonhap

Korea defeated China 3-0 for their second straight victory in the Asian World Cup qualification tournament Tuesday, with skipper Son Heung-min delivering a pair of goals in the first half.

Sonny, as he's affectionately known, converted an 11th-minute penalty and then scored a header goal just before halftime at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre in Shenzhen, China, in the teams' second Group C match in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Son then assisted Jung Seung-hyun's header goal with an 87th-minute free kick to cap off the clean sheet win.

Korea, having beaten up Singapore 5-0 last Thursday in Seoul, lead Group C with six points. The Taegeuk Warriors will next face Thailand in home-and-away dates in March 2024.

Korea, ranked 24th, now have 22 wins, 13 draws and two loss against 79th-ranked China.

Korea have won their past five matches, counting friendlies, with 19 goals scored and none conceded. (Yonhap)