Son Heung-min's struggles cited as key reason for South Korea's World Cup exit

South Korea's exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage has been attributed to the underperformance of its star player, Son Heung-min. A report by American sports outlet Sports Illustrated (SI) identified Son's scoring drought as one of the tournament's "10 biggest disappointments."

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Son Heung-min was the heart of the Korean national team for the past 10 years.

SI noted Son's crucial role for the national team over the past decade, highlighting that he was just two goals shy of Cha Bum-kun's all-time record of 58 international goals before the tournament. However, his performance in the World Cup did not match his reputation.

The publication pointed out that the global star, known for exceeding his expected goals (xG), was nowhere to be seen. "It was as if all his power and superpowers had vanished," SI stated. Son played in all three group stage matches against the Czech Republic, Mexico, and South Africa, but failed to register a single goal or assist.

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He was only two goals away from Cha Bum-kun's all-time record of 58 international goals.

Adding to the disappointment, Son's cumulative expected goals (xG) for the tournament stood at 1.05, the highest among players who did not score. This indicates he had multiple opportunities that statistically should have resulted in at least one goal. His shooting accuracy was also a concern, with only one shot on target out of seven attempts. Despite getting chances in good positions, he could not convert them into goals.

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The global goal scorer, who always exceeded expected goals (xG), was nowhere to be seen.

South Korea started the tournament with a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic but subsequently lost 0-1 to Mexico and South Africa, leading to their elimination. This outcome also led to coach Hong Myung-bo stepping down. While SI acknowledged the criticism directed at Hong, the article suggested that the coach's fate might have been different if Son had maintained his usual scoring form throughout the summer.

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It was as if all his power and superpowers had vanished.