S Korea face Japan in soccer final today

BOGOR, Indonesia: South Korea soccer coach Kim Hak-bom wants his players to rein in their aggression against Japan in order to retain the Asian Games gold in Saturday’s men’s final.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min, who is captaining South Korea as one of the over-aged players in the under-23 competition, is one win away from gaining exemption from mandatory military service.

All able-bodied South Korean men must complete 21 months service in the military as a deterrent against the North, but exemptions are offered to athletes who win gold at the Asian Games or a medal of any colour at the Olympics.

“We are ready for the match and we will show our best performance tomorrow,” Kim told reporters on Friday.

“I want to be aggressive as well but I also need the players to be wise. I believe our players will play very well tomorrow. I’m just worried about one thing, they may become too aggressive because they really want to win.

“Other than that, our players will perform at their best and without any doubt tomorrow’s match is very important for them. So I don’t want to say anything to the players.”

Son made one appearance from the bench for Spurs before linking up with South Korea’s Games squad earlier this month.

Spurs are currently second in the Premier League, behind Liverpool on goal difference, after winning all three of their opening fixtures.

The 26-year-old will not return to Tottenham until the middle of September as he is set to join up with the senior national side next week for friendlies against Costa Rica and Chile.