Son Heung-min relieved to be unhurt after Korean derby that was “like war”

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Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min says he was relieved to escape this week’s historic Korean derby without injury.

Heung-min Son

Son’s South Korea faced their northern neighbours for the first time in a competitive clash on Tuesday in North Korean capital Pyongyang.

The game ended 0-0 and was played in an empty stadium with no foreign media present and no live broadcasting.

Son returned to London yesterday and the Sun reports that he was happy to be back in one piece after a fiery encounter.  

“The match was very aggressive — it’s a huge achievement just to return safely without being injured,” he said.

The newspaper also reports that the South Korean FA’s vice-president Young-li Choi said the game “was like war”.

"They used everything from elbows to hands to knees to fend off our players. It was difficult,” he said.

South Korea’s players and staff had to travel to Pyongyang through China and were made to leave their phones in Beijing, with staff members only being allowed to report on the game via faxes sent to government offices in Seoul.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are in desperate need of a win against the rock-bottom Hornets after picking up just one victory in their last six games in all competitions.

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Alasdair Mackenzie

Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.