Amman: Displaying sportsmanship in light of an admittedly disappointing result for his team, South Korea captain Son Heung-min praised his opponents Palestine for their strong effort in difficult circumstances. Son's 16th-minute equalizer salvaged a draw for 22nd-ranked South Korea against 100th-ranked Palestine in the teams' Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday. Palestine were the home team but the match was played at Amman International Stadium in Amman as the neutral venue for the war-torn country. According to Yonhap News Agency, before the kickoff, the teams observed a moment of silence for victims of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and Palestine scored the opening goal a dozen minutes in, as winger Zeid Qunbar intercepted a back pass by defender Kim Min-jae just in front of goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo. "I think we made this match difficult for ourselves because of the mistake," Son said. "We tried to bounce back and scored the equalizer pretty early. But we could have wo n this match if we'd converted our opportunities." However, Son put aside his disappointment for a moment to acknowledge Palestine. "I'd like to applaud them. I think they were really well prepared despite being in such a difficult situation and they executed their plans really well," Son said. "I think that's something we can learn from them. I am disappointed that we didn't win and hopefully, we will play better next year." Son's goal was his 51st international marker, putting him alone in second place on the all-time South Korean list. He is seven behind the leader, Cha Bum-kun, and could pass him next year if he can stay healthy. Son, 32, said he has not yet reached a point in his career where he can savor his milestones. "It's a huge honor to be in the company of so many great names," Son said. "For now, though, I don't consider my personal records to be all that important. I am more focused on trying to help the team." This was the final match for South Korea in 2024, a tumultuous year that included a semifinal exit from the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in February, subsequent firing of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann the same month, and the controversial hiring of Hong Myung-bo in July. "This has been a hectic year and we've played a lot of matches," Son said. "But result-wise, I think we have been coming up short of 100 percent, sometimes by as much as 10 percent. Hopefully, we will be making up ground so that by time I retire, I will be 100 percent satisfied."