South Korean captain and Tottenham Hotspur ace Heung-Min Son vowed that his side will come up with a better showing against Qatar in the quarterfinal of the AFC Asian Cup after a rather insipid and uninspiring performance against Bahrain.
The two-time champions were put under pressure by a spirited Bahrain, who went toe to toe against Son and his men in the round of 16 fixture at the Rashid Stadium on Tuesday night.
Son, who has been pivotal to Tottenham's title challenge in the English Premier League, said that their performance wasn't a true reflection of the team that they are and promised a full-on show against the Qataris.
"It was a tough game," Son said at the Mixed Zone after the game.
"We played against a team with so many players in defence and who play counter-attack. It's not easy. It's all about attitude as well and I'm a bit unhappy with our performance, as I think we're better than that," he added.
South Korea had to rely on substitute Kim Jin-Su's brilliant header in extra time to win the game, after Hwang Hee-Chan's opener was cancelled out by Mohamed Saad Al Romaihi.
Son said that there would be occasions where teams have to grind it out and it doesn't matter how the result comes.
"We are looking forward to playing the quarterfinal. Of course, it's going to be a very, very tough game like today (Tuesday). We're looking forward. We got the result. Sure, the performance was not great, but sometimes you take the result," said the 26-year-old.
South Korea go up against Qatar at the Zayed Sports City on Friday and the clash rekindles memories when Son suffered a broken right arm against them in a World Cup qualifier last year.
Against Bahrain, Son was heavily marked and also suffered a minor bruise after Ali Jaafar Madan stuck his boots high onto his face.
It has been a hectic schedule for Son, for both club and country, with him having also featured in the World Cup in Russia. He has played two matches here so far, against China and Bahrain, apart from fixtures back in England.
But Son ruled out any signs of fatigue. "It's all about mentality, I think. If you think you're tired . of course after the game I feel tired, but still I try to recover as quick as possible and play again. In three days, I can recover. It's the same when I play with Tottenham as well. I have to recover as quickly as possible and look forward to play," Son felt.
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