The whole of South Korea breathed a huge sigh of relief one hour prior to their World Cup opener against Uruguay. As ever, Son Heung-min had dominated the headlines ahead of the tournament, but this time it was for all the wrong reasons after sustaining a fracture around his left eye 23 days earlier.
Ever since going down midway inside the first half of Tottenham's Champions League win over Marseille after a nasty collision with Chancel Mbemba, his homeland has prayed for the 30-year-old to make a quick recovery as he once again carries the hopes of a nation on his shoulders. Named in Paulo Bento's 26-man squad 11 days after sustaining the issue at the Orange Velodrome, Son has had to train with a protective mask on his face ever since linking up with the rest of his teammates in Qatar.
Leading his country out at the Education City Stadium with Tottenham teammate Rodrigo Bentancur lining up against him, Son's swift return to action was complete. Struggling with a couple of corners early on, he also had an unwanted problem with his captain's armband throughout the first half.
