Son becomes first Asian footballer to score 50 EPL goals

For Tottenham Hotspur singer Son Heung-min, the Aston Villa match on Sunday became an unforgettable one as he scored his 50th goal in the EPL as the first Asian footballer to achieve that feat. The South Korean missed his penalty but managed to stab the loose ball home, writing a new chapter of Asian football history.

“I guess my kick wasn’t good enough. But I never give up and get myself ready to bounce back and find the net,” said Son in an interview after the game. “If I am given another penalty chance, I’d like to make a clean goal.”

Pepe Reina, the seasoned goalkeeper of Aston Villa, boasted many superb saves throughout the match. “I thought the game would be tough because Reina is a great goalkeeper with lots of experiences,” said the South Korean who scored the winning goal of the game. “I wasn’t feeling very good as I missed several times to score.”

According to WhoScore.com, Son made seven attempts at goal (six on target · two found). “I missed many chances, but I believed there would come another chance. Luckily, the ball found its way for me, and the finish was good as well,” said Son about his second goal partly attributable to a fumbling defender.

After the game, Son celebrated the win with Toby Alderweireld, urging the crowd to give the applause to the Belgium defender. “I wanted to congratulate him on his newly born son. Though Toby scored a goal today, I figured he might have been upset for his own goal,” Son said. “I felt that those who worked harder deserved the applause more than I do.”

Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com