Son Heung-Min and 19 of his South Korea teammates will be formally spared from mandatory military service after claiming gold at the 2018 Asian Games.
After the first 90 minutes finished zip-zip, a couple of goals from Lee Seung-woo and Hwang Hee-chan in extra-time saw the Korean Republic chug to a 2-1 victory over Japan.
All able-bodied South Korean men must complete 21 months service in the military, but exemptions are offered to athletes who win gold at the Asian Games or any medal at the Olympics.
The Asian Games is actually an Under-23 tournament, but Son captained the team as one of Korea’s three permitted ‘senior’ players.
The Tottenham forward was subbed off minutes before the final whistle, but soon came cavorting back onto the pitch when the final whistle both secured gold and delivered him from the army’s clutches.
Talk about high stakes. No wonder he was bloody ecstatic!