In China, South Korea’s national soccer team captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is criticizing the penalty kick goal against China. The process of the penalty kick being declared itself was a misjudgment, and Son Heung-min’s “shhhhh ceremony” was a provocative act.
China’s Sohu Dotcom reported on the 22nd (Korea time) that “China allowed a penalty kick run nine minutes after the start of the game due to a serious misjudgment,” adding, “Son Heung-min even showed a provocative ceremony of bringing his finger to his mouth after scoring a penalty kick, leaving him speechless.” Other media, such as The Paper and Hoo Fu, continue to make the same argument.
The situation was like this at the time. The day before, the second leg of the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup was held at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Guangdong Province, China. Cho Kyu-sung (Mit Whelan)’s shot was canceled after being caught by a defender who flew his body, followed by a chaotic situation at the gate. Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who was rushing to win the ball, fell when his knee got caught in Jucheonje’s leg. The referee, who watched the situation from the front, quickly declared a penalty kick for South Korea.
In China, this scene is not interpreted as a foul by Joo Cheon-je, but as a scene in which Cho Kyu-sung, who is on the same side, knocked over Hwang Hee-chan. Sohu Dotcom said, “Jucheonje seems to have knocked Hwang Hee-chan over, but it wasn’t really like that. Cho Kyu-sung knocked down Hwang Hee-chan in the middle of the gate’s marriage. Commentators are also emphasizing this part through the slow screen, he said. “This is a really controversial scene. Commentators are questioning the penalty kick, he said. 슬롯머신
However, even if he looks at the slow screen again, Hwang Hee-chan is confirmed to fall when his knee gets caught in Jucheonje’s left foot in a competition situation. Cho Kyu-sung was right behind him in the competition, and he stretched his feet, but he didn’t even have contact with Cho Kyu-sung’s legs.
As he is not convinced of the penalty kick declaration itself, he seems to be even more angry at the hiss ceremony that came after Son Heung-min scored a penalty kick. The media said, “Son Heung-min laughed as if he had received a big gift, and took a provocative ceremony to make a gesture to close his mouth when he scored a goal. “It was an amazing scene,” he criticized, “The referee’s declaration of a penalty kick itself was controversial, but it was a shameful scene to score this goal and even provoke.”
Of course, while Son Heung-min did not mention the laser attack of the Chinese crowd at the moment of the penalty kick, criticism from China even went to the referee who declared the penalty. It was hosted by Abdulrahame al-Jasim, a Qatari national. The media said, “This Western Asian referee should make a fair and fair decision. The Chinese national team should not be targeted, he said, adding, “China suffered greatly because there is no VAR in such an important game.”
Meanwhile, after taking the lead after Son Heung-min’s first penalty kick goal, Klinsmann-ho added back-to-back headers by Son Heung-min and Jung Seung-hyun (Ulsan Hyundai) to win 3-0. Following the previous 5-0 victory over Singapore, the team won two consecutive World Cup qualifiers. In past matches with China, he had an overwhelming advantage with 22 wins, 13 draws and 2 losses. It has won four consecutive games against China recently.