Son Heung-min scores his 12th goal of the season

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min led his team to the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa League with his dedicated play.

Tottenham Hotspur drew 3-3 against LASK in the UEFA Europa League Group J match held at Linzer Stadium in Linz, Austria on Thursday local time. Spurs have earned 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) to secure the second place in the group, advancing to the knockout stages regardless of the result of their last group match.

With most of Spurs’ key players, including Harry Kane, Sergio Reguilón, and Erik Lamela unable to play due to their injuries, Son played as a striker for the team. Tottenham players did not seem to put their best effort in the run-up to their match against Arsenal on Sunday, which is a must-win to secure the lead in the Premier League, but Son gave his best as always, concentrating on team play.

After receiving a pass from Tanguy Ndombele, Son dashed through the defenders and scored the second goal of his team in the 56th minute, breaking a 1-1 tie. It was Son’s 12th goal of the season (nine in the regular league, three in Europa League), and the first goal in three games after he last bagged a goal against Manchester City on Nov. 22.

Tottenham won a penalty for handball in added time. Son was willing to give the penalty kick to Gareth Bale, who has shown unproductive performance since he joined Tottenham on loan after years at Real Madrid, to boost his confidence. After the match, Bale said in an interview that it was written on the whiteboard of the locker room before the match that either him or Son will take a penalty kick and Son was willing to give it to him. Thanks to Son, Bale scored his 200th career goal, including goals for club and country.


Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com