(Reuters) – South Korea captain Son Heung-min is hoping the 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Brazil in a friendly on Wednesday will prove a learning experience for his World Cup-bound team.
The prolific Tottenham Hotspur forward failed to find the net as five-times World Cup winners Brazil cruised to victory before more than 64,000 fans at Seoul’s World Cup stadium.
“It was an honour to be able to learn from such a world class team,” Son told Yonhap News Agency. “It was an extremely difficult match for us, but it was also an opportunity to learn a great deal.
“They are the kind of players that can exploit even small mistakes, and we have to improve in that aspect,” he added. “Most of the five goals they scored were the results of our miscues. On the other hand, I think it was encouraging for us to create scoring chances against such a powerful team.”
South Korea also play Chile, Paraguay and Egypt this month as they prepare for their 10th successive appearance at the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year.
“It probably wasn’t the result our fans wanted, and we’re disappointed as well,” Son said. “We understand we have a long way to go. But we will do our best until the World Cup and give our fans something to smile about.”
(Writing by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Grant McCool)
