A scene was captured of Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean national soccer team and player for Tottenham Hotspur, consoling a tearful Chinese goalkeeper after a match defeat. On the afternoon of June 11, a 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian second-round qualifier match took place between South Korea and China at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The first half ended without any goals. In the 16th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain delivered a precise long pass from midfield to Son Heung-min, who was penetrating the penalty box. When Son’s pass deflected in front of the goal, Lee Kang-in rushed in and scored with a left-footed shot, securing a 1-0 victory for South Korea.
As the final whistle blew, Chinese goalkeeper Wang Dalei sat down in front of the goalposts and began to cry. While his teammates helped him to his feet, Son Heung-min approached, hugged the tearful Wang Dalei and patted his head in consolation. Wang responded by patting Son on the back. This brief five-second hug became a hot topic not only in South Korea but also among Chinese netizens. The video, accompanied by related hashtags, was shared on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo.
In an interview with China’s CCTV after the match, Wang Dalei said, “We definitely gave it our all. We control our opportunities and destiny, not anyone else, so we had to do our best until the end.” He also noted, “We faced the strongest South Korean team ever.” When asked if he had any regrets about the match, he responded, “I could only do what I could with my abilities. It’s very disappointing.” He became emotional and struggled to continue during the interview.
With this victory, South Korea concluded the second round of World Cup qualifiers with five wins and one draw, effectively securing a top seed in the third round of qualifiers. The third round will consist of three groups, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the World Cup finals, with seeding determined by the FIFA rankings in June. Currently, the FIFA rankings for Asian countries are Japan (18th), Iran (20th), South Korea (23rd) and Australia (24th). Although Australia could potentially surpass South Korea and take the top seed based on the final results, South Korea’s victory against China has made this less likely. This increases South Korea’s chances of avoiding tough opponents like Japan and Iran in the third round.
China narrowly escaped elimination from the World Cup qualifiers. Thailand defeated Singapore 3-1. With equal points, goal difference and goals scored, China advanced to the third round based on the head-to-head principle over Thailand.
