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| ▲ In this Associated Press photo, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur (R) receives medical attention after pulling up with a hamstring injury during a Premier League match against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in London on March 14, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ In this Reuters photo, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur (C) walks off the field at Emirates Stadium in London on March 14, 2021, after suffering a left hamstring injury during a Premier League match against Arsenal. (Yonhap) |
football player-injury
Tottenham's Son Heung-min suffers hamstring injury vs. Arsenal
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, March 15 (Yonhap) -- Tottenham Hotspur didn't just lose to Arsenal in their latest North London derby; they also lost South Korean star Son Heung-min to a hamstring injury.
Son pulled up clutching his left hamstring in the 19th minute of a 2-1 loss to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). The match was scoreless as Son walked off the pitch, and Tottenham failed to stay in front after Erik Lamela put them on the board in the 33rd minute. Arsenal tied things up late in the first half, and Alexandre Lacazette scored the winner on a penalty in the 64th minute.
The severity of Son's injury wasn't immediately clear, but any absence by the high-scoring South Korean attacker is a major blow to Tottenham's top-four aspirations.
Sunday's loss left Tottenham in seventh on 45 points, six behind fourth-ranked Chelsea but with one match in hand.
Son hitting the shelf is also devastating news to the South Korean national team ahead of a much-anticipated, March 25 friendly match against Japan.
Head coach Paulo Bento is scheduled to announce his roster for that contest Monday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said last week that it had contacted foreign clubs about releasing their Korean players for the occasion. Due to temporary FIFA rule tweaks brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, clubs aren't obligated to make international players available for friendlies, depending on travel restrictions in place.
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