'Controversial' Son Heung-min to rest against Tunisia to 'control his condition'

Left off the starting roster and started on the bench Had a chance to play in the first half, but Rested in the second half with goals from Lee Kang-in and Hwang Eui-jo

Klinsmann's 'Captain' Son Heung-min (Tottenham) rested on the bench against Tunisia to keep his form in check.

South Korea's national soccer team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, cruised to a 4-0 victory over Tunisia in their October A Match friendly at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

The win was South Korea's second consecutive victory and fourth in four matches, following a 1-1 draw against El Salvador in the second round of A matches in June, a 0-0 draw against Wales in September and a 1-0 win against Saudi Arabia.

Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) had a multi-goal game and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) had an own goal. The biggest storyline was the absence of Son Heung-min.

Son was a doubt for the match against Tunisia due to a "bullying controversy" this season. He entered the National Training Center (NFC) in Paju on the 9th, after returning home on the 8th, and was excluded from team training until the 11th.

He has been adjusting his playing time in light of the medial thigh injury that has plagued him at Tottenham, and the national team has been focusing more on conditioning.

In fact, for the first three days of his stay, Son spent a lot of time recovering, cycling and getting massages.

Fortunately, he was able to put on his soccer cleats for the first time during the team's final training session against Tunisia on Dec. 12, increasing his chances of playing against Tunisia.

"I'm continuing to recover. I'm better than when I first arrived. We'll see how he feels in training today and see where he is," he said, leaving the door open for him to play.

However, Klinsmann did not play Son Heung-min. His omission from the starting lineup raised the possibility of a second-half substitution. In fact, the first half was a frustrating one, as the teams played to a goalless draw.

Luckily, Lee Kang-in and others came into play and gave the team a huge 3-0 lead. Son Heung-min didn't even warm up in his training vest, but sat on the bench and watched the game comfortably.

Then, just before the end of the game, Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City) scored a wedge goal to separate the two teams by four goals. On the scoreboard, Son Heung-min smiled and waved to the fans, clearly pleased with his performance. The fans responded with cheers.

Klinsmann's team will face Vietnam at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on Nov. 17. It will be interesting to see if Son Heung-min will be able to play against Vietnam after he recovers from his injury. 스포츠토토맨