Children wearing masks can be seen again in the stadium stands in Doha during these World Cup weeks.

You are from South Korea.

However, they put the masks over their eyes, not over their mouth and nose.

They don't wear them because they want to protect themselves from viruses.

They wear them because they want to support the most important player in their national team.

Christopher Meltzer

Sports correspondent in Munich.

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It has been just four weeks since Tottenham Hotspur striker and South Korea captain Heung-min Son injured his face in a Champions League game.

His club announced that he needed immediate surgery to "stabilize a fracture around his left eye".

That was 23 days before South Korea's first World Cup game in Qatar.

Son with special mask

Now, this Monday, South Korea are playing Brazil in the Round of 16 because Son, the man in the mask, did something brilliant in the 90th minute of their third group game against Portugal.

But first things first.

Once the operation was over, it quickly became clear that Son, 30, would be able to start his third World Cup for South Korea with a special mask.

He then played 90 minutes plus added time against Uruguay (0-0).

He played 90 minutes plus stoppage time against Ghana (2:3).

And he had been playing against Portugal for more than 90 minutes when he charged the ball towards the penalty area.

At that moment it was 1:1.

South Korea would have been out, Uruguay, who led 2-0 against Ghana, in the round of 16.

In the penalty area, there were three opponents directly in front of Son and two directly behind him.

But he spotted the gap and passed the ball to Hee-Chan Hwang, who put it in goal.

So South Korea got ahead.

Striker Heung-min Son, a former player for Hamburg and Leverkusen who finished as the English Premier League's top scorer in 2021/22 (with Mohamed Salah), is the top player in the South Korean side, which has already been compared to 2002 at home becomes.

So the one who sensationally stormed into the semi-finals of the home World Cup with striker Ji-sung Park.

The comparison is not inappropriate, but the thing is: South Korea has to play against Brazil in the round of 16 in 2022.

And thus also against the player who was injured in the first World Cup game but should now be able to play again: Neymar.