Son Heung-min was just the player South Korea needed to really get their Asian Cup campaign going. In his first game since arriving for international duty from Tottenham, Son earned a penalty and then assisted his team's second goal to help South Korea beat China 2-0 in Group C on Wednesday. With both teams already qualified, South Korea dominated possession and bombarded China's goal in a more confident performance than their dour 1-0 wins over the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan. Tottenham star Son Heung-min has launched his Asian Cup campaign with South Korea Son arrived after missing South Korea's first two games of the competition in the UAE He won a penalty and set up another goal in a routine win over their Chinese opponents Son won the penalty in the 12th minute, his fleet footwork proving too much for Shi Ke to keep up with as the Chinese defender tripped him. Hwang Ui-jo took the penalty, shooting hard into the lower-left corner just past goalkeeper Yan Junling's outstretched hand. South Korea scored again in the 51st minute when Son's corner was headed in by Kim Min-jae. It was the defender's second goal in as many games. China defender Linpeng Zhang fights for the ball with Son as he continued to cause problems South Korea's Kim Minjae celebrates scoring their second goal with In-Beom Hwang and Son The pacey forward was replaced by Koo Ja-Cheol in the dying stages of the contest Son is playing in his third international tournament in less than a year. After playing at the World Cup, Son missed the first part of the English season while playing for South Korea at the Asian Games. He led the team to the title, securing exemption from military service. Son could be away for up to five of Tottenham's matches in all competitions if South Korea reach the Asian Cup final on February 1. Kyrgyzstan beat the Philippines 3-0 to finish third in Group C, but must wait for other results to find out if that's enough for a place in the last 16.<doc-sep>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. 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. - India must turn 'Sorrow of Sharjah' into fuel for fire - Japan unfazed up potential Socceroos clash Son had only arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday. He flew from London to Dubai and then took a two-hour drive to the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The day before, he had played in a hard-fought Premier League match against Manchester United to end a very busy couple of months in Europe. No wonder he admitted to reporters when he landed that he was tired. 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. 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. Son Heung-min may be Asia's most recognisable star, but Wu Lei has the potential to be just as effective for China. KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images Korea had scored only once against Sven Goran-Eriksson's Azkals but China managed three against them, and that was down to Wu. Son has a penchant for the spectacular, but even he has not scored a goal to better the instinctive turn and chip from the edge of the area that Wu somehow pulled off. It deserved to be seen around the world. Wu's second -- a beautiful volley direct from a corner -- seemed mundane in comparison. It was no surprise then that the only player the Koreans were worried about was Wu. Without him, the Chinese don't carry the same threat and don't have the same confidence -- just like Son with Korea. Now it is time for Wu to follow in Son's footsteps and head to Europe. He has already been linked to Chinese-owned Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Premier League, and he will have many options should he decide to go. His tag as the "Chinese Maradona" is silly, but he deserves to be better known than he is. Fortunately, for fans back home as well as neutrals -- though less so for Thai defenders -- Wu's shoulder injury is not as serious as the X-rays made it look, and coach Lippi says he will be back for the knockout stage. China need him as much as South Korea need Son. Wu is showing that he is one of the biggest stars in Asian football. Whatever happens at the Asian Cup, he deserves a wider audience.<doc-sep>
Son Heung-min was just the player South Korea needed to really get its Asian Cup campaign going. (AP Photo) Son Heung-min was just the player South Korea needed to really get its Asian Cup campaign going. (AP Photo) Son Heung-min was just the player South Korea needed to really get its Asian Cup campaign going. In his first game since arriving from Tottenham, Son earned a penalty and then assisted on his team’s second goal to help South Korea beat China 2-0 in Group C on Wednesday. With both teams already qualified, South Korea dominated possession and bombarded China’s goal in a more confident performance than its dour 1-0 wins over the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan. Son won the penalty in the 12th minute, his fleet footwork proving too much for Shi Ke to keep up with as the Chinese defender tripped him. Hwang Ui-jo took the penalty, shooting hard into the lower-left corner just past goalkeeper Yan Junling’s outstretched hand. South Korea scored again in the 51st when Son’s corner was headed in by Kim Min-jae. It was the defender’s second goal in as many games. Son is playing in his third international tournament in less than a year. After playing at the World Cup, Son missed the first part of the English season while playing for South Korea at the Asian Games. He led the team to the title, securing exemption from military service. Son could be away for up to five of Tottenham’s matches in all competitions if South Korea reaches the Asian Cup final on Feb. 1. China faces Thailand in the last 16, while South Korea’s opposition will be a third-place team yet to be determined. Kyrgyzstan earned its first ever Asian Cup win 3-1 over the Philippines to finish third in Group C, getting a hat trick from Vitalij Lux. Kyrgyzstan must wait for other results to find out if that’s enough for a place in the last 16. Iran and Iraq played out a drab 0-0 draw which meant the Iranians finished top of Group D on goal difference. Iran appealed for a penalty when the ball hit Iraq midfielder Safaa Hadi’s arm just before halftime, but Hadi appeared to have tried to avoid contact and no spot kick was given. Iraq had some scoring chances in the second half but couldn’t end Iran’s 23-year unbeaten run in Asian Cup group games. Both Iran and Iraq have now qualified from the group stage at seven consecutive Asian Cups. Iran is trying to win its fourth title after a 43-year wait, while Iraq won its only title in 2007. Iran now faces a second-round game against a third-place team from another group. Iraq must face either Qatar or Saudi Arabia, both among the tournament’s top scorers. Vietnam took third place in Group D after beating Yemen 2-0 for its first Asian Cup win in 12 years, and could qualify depending on other results. Yemen was playing at its first Asian Cup despite a civil war and mass starvation at home. The lowest-ranked team in the tournament, Yemen failed to score a goal in its three group games and conceded 10.