Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min has issued a battle cry ahead of South Korea’s likely clash with Brazil

Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea international Son Heung-min has issued a defiant battle cry for his teammates ahead of his side’s likely clash against Brazil in the Round of 16.

South Korea booked their place in the next round after they beat Portugal 2-1 to claim second place in their group, despite Uruguay beating Ghana 2-0. Had the South American side scored one more, Korea would have gone out.

Brazil’s place in the knockout round was already booked and they managed to hold onto that spot despite a 1-0 loss against Cameroon. They have goal difference to thank for that, and especially Richarlison’s brace against Serbia in their opening day 2-0 win.

Speaking after the game (h/t Daily Mail), Son, who provided the crucial assist for the winner, issued a battle cry for his country and claimed that they now have ‘higher goals’.

“It was really hard but our players did not give up and we worked hard. We did well and I’m proud of our players, they did well.:

“Going into the round of 16 was our goal and now we have higher goals and we will do our best to achieve those goals. No-one knows the world of football, especially now, and since we have a chance to beat Brazil we will do our best and prepare our best game.”

While the forward is looking confident, it will be no easy task to take on the Selecao. They are one of the favourites to go till the end of this year and also defeated South Korea 5-1 in a friendly during the summer.

As for Son, the 30-year-old has not been at his best for Spurs this season. The forward has struggled to find the back of the net but is yet a regular under Antonio Conte. He has scored only five times in 19 games in all competitions.

But he seems to be finding his form. He is more than likely to captain his side in the Round of 16 and will hope to get on the scoresheet this time and open his World Cup account for this year.

It remains to be seen how far the Koreans can go in this year’s tournament. Brazil are billed as one of the favourites and some would argue that this, on paper, is the worst possible draw the Asian nation could have had.

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With Richarlison spearheading the Selecao Canarinho‘s attack, at least one Spurs star will be advancing from this game to the last eight. Rodrigo Bentancur’s Uruguay, meanwhile, weren’t as fortunate as South Korea and as a result of Son’s assist and Hwan Hee-chan’s goal, were eliminated from the competition despite beating Ghana 2-0.