Son Heung-min's South Korea overcame China, but Team Dragon still have Wu Lei to call on

South Korea have Son Heung-min, and China have Wu Lei. The two may not be at the same level in terms of talent or renown, but the Chinese attacker is as important to Marcello Lippi's side as Son is to Paulo Bento's. This was made all the more clear on Wednesday when the teams met in their final group game at the Asian Cup.cheap nfl jerseys china nike

The Chinese were always going to find it tough against South Korea in Abu Dhabi. But without Wu -- sidelined by a shoulder injury -- it was almost mission impossible as they sank to a 2-0 defeat and gave up the top spot in Group C to the Koreans.

Korea asked plenty of questions of their East Asian rivals, and Son's presence played a part, albeit a surprising one. Few expected the Tottenham Hotspur man to start the final game of the group. Both teams were already through, and finishing top was not a major prize especially as second meant a test against Thailand that neither would be scared of.

Korea enjoy their superior record against China -- just two losses in over 30 meetings -- but even so, most Korean journalists thought that Son would start on the bench and perhaps come on for the last 20 minutes. After all, the point of Son coming out for the last group game was not really to play in it; expectations were that Korea would be through by that point. No, arriving before the end of the group games would give Son a chance to rest and get ready for the real action: the knockout stage.

Yet he started and showed few signs of tiredness. He was involved in both of Korea's goals and carried a general air of menace. Korea looked much more dangerous with their talisman, and if he stays fit and the defence stays solid then the men from Seoul will take some stopping.cheap nfl nike jerseys from china

Meanwhile, Wu was out with that shoulder injury, the nasty looking X-ray of which was widely circulated on Chinese social media. He was missed, and not only by fans back in the Middle Kingdom. The Shanghai SIPG man, the top scorer of the 2018 Chinese Super League season -- no mean feat given the attacking talent in the league -- was sensational against the Philippines.

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