ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia, June 22 -- South Korean coach Shin Taeyong hailed his midfielder Son Heung-min as the best player in Asia, counting on his better performance in the match against Mexico.
"I think Son is the best among Asian players. We played defensively in our first match, so he didn't play to his full ability. He is really sacrificing himself for the team," Shin said during a pre-match press conference on Friday.
"I think that tomorrow he will be able to show more of his abilities," he added.
"I want to win tomorrow's match, that's how we were preparing, but we have to be objective. Mexico is a strong team, we have to make sure our players will do their best, or even more," Shin said about the game with Mexico, who defeated reigning champions Germany in the opener.
"For strategies and tactics we might have some changes, because the Swedish and Mexican teams play in very different ways," Shin said.
The South Korea coach admitted that the weather could be one of the deciding factors of Saturday's game.
"It is a lot hotter than we expected, the change of weather will impact us negatively," Shin expressed his concern about the fifteen-degree Celsius differential in temperature between Rostov-On-Don and Nizhny Novgorod, where they lost to Sweden, saying the hot weather will probably work in favour of the Mexican team.
Shin believed South Korean president's presence would be encouraging for the players, but he said, "I've just read from the news that president Moon Jae-in will attend the game, and I have no more details."
The showdown with Mexico is likely to be the last opportunity for Shin's team to prove themselves with a victory in order to live up to expectations of the enthusiastic and fanatic fans at home, as their last opponents will be title favorites Germany.