S. Korea lose sleep over Son’s fitness ahead of Uruguay encounter
AS THE Asian giants begin their World Cup campaign today against an Uruguay team with a history of making deep tournament runs, South Koreans will be anxiously awaiting news of whether captain Son Heung-min is available in the upcoming time of need.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward sustained multiple fractures around his left eye three weeks ago and has been training in Qatar wearing a black protective mask reminiscent of swashbuckling vigilante Zorro.
Group H also includes Portugal and Ghana, meaning Son’s unrelenting threat and firepower against an uncertain Uruguayan defence will be vital for South Korea to pick up some crucial early points by negating Uruguay’s attacking flair.
South Korea coach Paulo Bento has imposed a team gag order on discussing Son’s state of World Cup readiness, hoping to keep Uruguay’s strategists in the dark.
Uruguay are once again the dark horse of the tournament, with a squad that combines a trusted old guard of players age 35 or above, with exciting young talent eager to make their mark in their first World Cup.
They include Liverpool’s record signing Darwin Nunez, who is expected to be paired up front with the aging Luis Suarez, a key component in Uruguay’s impressive march to the semi-finals in the 2010 World Cup.
Nunez at 23 is 12 years younger than Suarez and fellow forward Edinson Cavani, who play in their fourth World Cup, as does captain and most capped player Diego Godin.
Among 13 debutants will be Real Madrid’s versatile midfielder Federico Valverde and Manchester United’s Facundo Pellistri.