Son Heung-min scored as South Korea defeated Thailand 3-0 on Tuesday, advancing to the next round of World Cup qualification in Asia.
A sellout crowd of nearly 45,000 packed Bangkok’s Rajamangala stadium, looking for an upset after Thailand held South Korea to a surprise 1-1 draw in Seoul last week.
Son’s team, however, remained composed in hot, sticky conditions, with Park Jin-seob and Lee Jae-sun joining the Tottenham Hotspur star on the scoresheet.
After a sloppy first half, highlighted primarily by Lee’s goal, Son scored the second from a tight angle nine minutes after the break, with the ball rattling between Thai goalie Patiwat Khammai’s knees.
Park sealed the victory with eight minutes remaining, putting South Korea’s heartbreak from the previous week behind them.
The result means that South Korea, who leads Group C, only needs a draw against Singapore in June to advance to their 12th World Cup final appearance.
Coach Hwang Sun-hong, who took temporary command following Jurgen Klinsmann’s ouster last month, expressed relief at his first win in charge.
“That was a challenging match. “The end result was exactly what we needed,” he explained.
Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain started in a front three alongside Son after coming off the bench last week following claims about an altercation between the two during the Asian Cup.