Son Heung Min answered questions about his form in convincing fashion, netting twice as South Korea thrashed Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in a football World Cup warm-up friendly.
The 33-year-old has been under some scrutiny ahead of the World Cup, with the forward yet to score for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer this season.
Son opened the scoring for South Korea with a close-range finish in the 40th minute, before doubling their lead from the penalty spot three minutes later.
Hwang Hee Chan netted once and substitute Cho Gue Sung scored two more in the second half to complete South Korea's rout of theirmuch lower-ranked opponents in Provo, Utah.
"I think our confidence may have been low after losing twice in March [to Ivory Coast and Austria], and we will try to build on this and keep the momentum going," Son said after the win. "Regardless of opponents, it's not easy to win 5-0. So I hope people don't take this for granted. The players deserve credit, and I think we're moving in the right direction."
With his two strikes, Son moved up to 56 international goals, just two behind South Korea's all-time leading goalscorer Cha Bum Kun, though the forward insisted individual records were not his priority.
"I think it's more important for me to play well for the team, and it doesn't always have to be about scoring goals," he added. "Making sacrifices for the team and doing whatever the team needs is my favorite thing to do, something that I've valued more than anything throughout my career."
South ​Korea, who will face World Cup co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and the Czech Republic in the group stage, take on El Salvador in another friendly before kicking off their campaign against the Czechs in Guadalajara on June 11.
REUTERS
