South Korea will be hoping to produce another shock on Monday evening when they take on World Cup favourites Brazil. Looking set to exit the competition at the group stage with limited opportunities coming their way as they searched for a second goal against Portugal, Son Heung-min provided the telling moment when his country needed it most.
Hwang Hee-chan was the hero after putting his country 2-1 to the good, yet the goal only came after Son's lung-busting run from the edge of his own box and a real touch of class with players surrounding him. Struggling in the tournament prior to that incredible piece of play, it could just be the spark Son needs to rediscover his top form.
After all, South Korea are going to need their main man to be at the peak of his powers if they are to cause a major upset and send the tournament favourites home a lot earlier than expected. Son has improved as the World Cup has progressed but he is still without a goal from their first three matches.
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His Portugal showing does offer signs of encouragement, though, as he was seeing a lot more of the ball and finding himself in positions to get a shot off on goal, which wasn't always the case in their first two games. It has been an extremely challenging season for the 30-year-old to date as his club form has tailed off drastically after previously scoring for fun in the final couple of months of last campaign as he won the Premier League Golden Boot.
Hitting five goals across two games for Tottenham, a couple of strikes on international duty in September appeared that it would give him a much-needed boost but his frustrating club form showed no sign of going away. The South Korean could even follow in Tottenham teammate Harry Kane's footsteps and rise to the occasion in the knockout phase after his group stage struggles.
Failing to score in England's group fixtures just as he did at Euro 2020 18 months ago, Kane silenced his critics in the best way possible with a fine strike to double the Three Lions' advantage over Senegal on Sunday evening. The goals will now be expected to flow for Kane after his maiden strike of the tournament.
As much as the focus will be on Son back in his home country, Richarlison will also find himself in a similar position as Brazil look to end their 20-year wait to get their hands on the world's most famous trophy once again. The onus will of course be on Neymar, following his return from an ankle injury, to guide his country through their Round of 16 match, but Richarlison will also be facing the pressure as he is the one expected to chip in with the goals as he leads the frontline.
Amid questions from some quarters about having the Tottenham ace as their maim striker despite his excellent record for Selecao, the £60million man was the hero in their World Cup opener with a double, which included a sublime acrobatic effort that is currently leading the running for Goal of the Tournament. Not on the scoresheet in their following match as he was replaced on 73 minutes in the late 1-0 win over Switzerland, Richarlison was an unused substitute on Friday for their defeat against Cameroon as Gabriel Jesus, who is now out of the tournament through a knee injury, instead started in a much-changed team.
Richarlison will return against South Korea and he will be intent on making his mark once again on the biggest stage of all. One of the duo will return to Hotspur Way sooner than they would like, with Tottenham's No.9 and Brazil overwhelming favourites with the bookies to advance to the final eight of the competition.
Needing both players to be on their game once Premier League action resumes after their injury and goal woes ahead of the tournament, Monday evening's World Cup showdown gives Son and Richarlison a huge opportunity to be their country's hero and that could only benefit Tottenham going forward. Set to be boosted by one of the duo returning to training in good time for the Brentford clash, the biggest boost Conte could get right now is both finding their top form on a pivotal night at the World Cup.
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