South Korea recalls Son for Qatar, Iran World Cup qualifiers

Tottenham Hotspur's Heung-Min Son, right, takes on Middlesbrough's Marten De Roon ,left, during the English Premier League soccer match between Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, England, Saturday, Sept, 24, 2016. (Anna Gowthorpe/PA via AP) (The Associated Press)

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Tottenham Hotspur's Heung-Min Son celebrates with Dele Alli after scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, England, Saturday, Sept, 24, 2016. (Anna Gowthorpe/PA via AP) (The Associated Press)

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea coach Uli Stielike has recalled Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min ahead of next month's 2018 World Cup qualification games against Qatar and Iran.

Stielike allowed Son, 24, to miss the 1-1 draw with Syria earlier this month to focus on his career with Tottenham in the English Premier League.

For Son and Spurs, it was a successful move. The attacker scored four goals in the subsequent three league games, including a double in the 2-1 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday that lifted Spurs into second spot.

South Korea, with four points from two games in the final round of Asian qualifying, hosts Qatar on Oct. 6 and plays Iran in Tehran five days later.

The top two from each of the two six-team groups in Asia qualify automatically for the next World Cup in Russia.