Son Heung-min wins first championship trophy as Tottenham triumphs in UEL final

Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) has finally won his first championship trophy with his team.

Tottenham defeated Manchester United (Man U) 1-0 in the single-match final of the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League (UEL) at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, on the 22nd (Korea time).

The 'hero of the final goal' is Brennan Johnson. He ran in and stretched out his foot to meet a cross coming from the left side in the 41st minute. The ball was deflected off a United defender. Johnson quickly got his toes on the slightly deflected ball, which was sucked into the Man U goal. The Tottenham players embraced each other in joy.

Son Heung-min, who was waiting on the bench, came onto the field in the 67th minute, replacing Richarlison. He had been out for a month due to a foot injury but practiced his match sense through two Premier League games prior to this match. He played about 30 minutes against Crystal Palace on the 11th and started the match against Aston Villa on the 17th, playing for over 70 minutes.

Ahead of the match against Man U, there was significant interest in whether Son Heung-min would start. Manager Ange Postecoglou's decision was to keep him on the bench initially and start Richarlison.

During the first half, Son Heung-min, who sat on the bench and cheered for Johnson's goal, was actively running after being substituted in the middle of the second half. He attempted to create a shooting opportunity in the 81st minute with a counterattack. However, he couldn't properly control the ball amid defensive battles. He also took a direct free kick in the 85th minute.

According to the European statistics site 'Footmob,' Son Heung-min played 23 minutes (excluding extra time), touching the ball 13 times with a pass success rate of 33% (2 successful / 6 attempts), a 100% dribble success rate (1 successful / 1 attempt), 1 defensive action, 3 recoveries, and a ground ball contest success rate of 40% (2 successful / 5 attempts).

Finally, Son Heung-min has broken his career 'trophy-less' streak.

Making his professional debut in Hamburg, Germany, in 2010, and joining Tottenham in 2015 after stints at Bayer Leverkusen, Son Heung-min has faced disappointment at the threshold of victory numerous times. He finished 2nd in the Premier League in the 2016-2017 season and was a runner-up losing to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final in the 2018-2019 season. He also missed out on the EFL Cup final against Manchester City in the 2020-2021 season.

Until this day, the only title Son Heung-min had experienced since his professional debut was a gold medal earned as a member of the South Korean national football team at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.

Now, Son Heung-min has finally lifted the trophy with his team, realizing his dream of winning after 15 years as a professional.

Son Heung-min has become another South Korean UEL champion after former national team coach Cha Bum-kun. Coach Cha won the UEFA Cup (currently UEL) with Frankfurt in 1980 and 1988. Kim Dong-jin and Lee Ho also triumphed in this tournament in 2008 while with Zenit St. Petersburg.

Tottenham embraced a trophy for the first time in 17 years since winning the League Cup in the 2007-2008 season.

Finishing in 17th place in the Premier League this season, Tottenham secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League for next season as the UEL champion.

Tottenham, which lifted the UEL trophy from the brink of poor performance, turned criticism into cheers.

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