Son Heung-min scored twice to end his recent scoring drought as South Korea thrashed Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in a World Cup warm-up friendly on Saturday in Provo, Utah.
The 33-year-old forward had faced scrutiny after a slow start with Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer, where he has yet to score this season.
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Son's Double Sparks Rout
Son opened the scoring with a close-range strike in the 40th minute and converted a penalty just three minutes later to give South Korea a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Hwang Hee-chan added a goal in the second half, and substitute Cho Gue-sung scored twice to complete the 5-0 victory over the lower-ranked opponents.
"I think our confidence may have been low after losing twice in March (to Ivory Coast and Austria), and we will try to build on this and keep the momentum going," Son said.
The win served as a crucial morale booster after consecutive defeats in March internationals.
"Regardless of opponents, it's not easy to win 5-0. So I hope people don't take this for granted.
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The players deserve credit, and I think we're moving in the right direction," Son added.
With his double, Son increased his international tally to 56 goals, just two shy of Cha Bum-kun's all-time South Korean record.
"I think it's more important for me to play well for the team, and it doesn't always have to be about scoring goals," Son said.
"Making sacrifices for the team and doing whatever the team needs is my favourite thing to do, something that I've valued more than anything throughout my career," he added.
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South Korea will play another friendly against El Salvador before opening their World Cup group stage against the Czech Republic on June 11 in Guadalajara, also facing Mexico and South Africa.
