Two goals apiece from Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane helped us to an entertaining 6-3 win over Team K League as we kick-started our 2022/23 pre-season in some style at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday.
In front of a bumper crowd in the South Korean capital, hometown favourite Son was the popular goalscorer on the night, converting a second-half penalty before adding our sixth of the Coupang Play Series clash five minutes from time.
Before that, Eric Dier had scored our first goal of the new season with a superb drive but Team K League – made up of a 24-man squad consisting of two players from each of the 12 K League teams – had pegged us back at 2-2 before we stamped our authority in the final half an hour.
Just 52 days after securing Champions League football at the end of last season, we were back in action in the humid surroundings of this fantastic venue, with Head Coach Antonio Conte handing first-ever appearances in Spurs shirts to Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr, with Brandon Austin and Charlie Sayers making their first team debuts.
We settled into the game quickly and Lucas Moura fired wide from 25 yards after a neat back-heel from Richarlison, while our high press twice almost reaped reward in a matter of minutes but Rodrigo Bentancur saw a shot blocked before Emerson Royal poked wide on the stretch after good work from Richarlison. On 21 minutes, Oliver Skipp and Cristian Romero combined to set up Davinson Sanchez following a cleared corner, but the Colombian international’s angled drive was pushed away for a corner by Hyeun Woo Jo. The opener came on the half hour as Dier picked up the ball just inside the opponents’ half, played a one-two with Bryan Gil and kept going as it opened up in front of him, hitting a left-foot 22-yard drive which flew past Jo.
The final few minutes of the half saw a flurry of chances along with the K League’s equaliser. First, Austin parried away Kim Dae Won’s 20-yard right foot effort, Richarlison headed straight at Jo while substitute Hyun Jun Yang beat Ryan Sessegnon and Dier inside the area before dragging his shot wide. Two minutes into stoppage time, Aleksandar Palocevic delivered a cross from the left flank and Gue Sung Cho’s fine header beat Austin to make it 1-1.
With both teams making a raft of changes at the break, it was almost a different game in the second half and the goals started to flow. Just two minutes after the interval, Kane was immediately into the action, sending in a low cross from the right which Jin Hyuk Kim diverted past his own goalkeeper, but it was 2-2 five minutes later, Lars Veldwijk stroking home right-footed from just inside the area after Yang Hyun-Jun’s pull back. Kane got his account for the season up and running on 54 minutes, drilling low into the bottom corner from 25 yards to restore our lead and we made it 4-2 from the penalty spot, Son converting from 12 yards after Jun Amano was penalised for handball.
The K League star soon made amends though, firing a 25-yard free-kick through our two-man defensive wall and catching out Hugo Lloris at his near post to reduce the deficit on 71 minutes. Not for long though, as we quickly restored the two-goal lead from a set piece of our own. Son was brought down by Dong Min Kim right on the edge of the area when through on goal and, while the defender was sent off, Kane stepped up and drilled low into the back of the net with the help of a big deflection. Our sixth of the game was a gift, the home side playing a square ball across the edge of their area which Son intercepted, rounded Young Kwang Kim and slotted into the empty net.
