Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min scored in a pre-season friendly match against Vissel Kobe. After scoring, Son even performed his signature ceremony, “Click Ceremony,” in Japan.
After completing his Japanese schedule, Son Heung-min will move to Korea with Tottenham and continue his pre-season Asian tour.
Son Heung-min scored his first pre-season goal in a summer pre-season friendly against Vissel Kobe (J League) at Tokyo National Stadium on the 27th (Korea time), contributing to Tottenham’s thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory. Tottenham lost two goals on the day, but tied Son Heung-min, Pedro Porro and Mikey Moore’s consecutive goals to win the game.
Tottenham faced off in a 4-3-3 format. Pedro Porro, Emerson Royal, Archie Gray, and Ben Davies made up the defense, with Guglielmo Vicario defending the goal. Pape Sarr, Yves Bissouma, and James Maddison were in charge of the midfield, while Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson supported Son on the front line from the side.
Vissel Kobe used a 4-4-2 formation. Daiya Maekawa stood in front of the goal. Hatsuseyo, Mateus Tuler, Ryuho Kikuchi and Nanasei Ino built the defense. Yosuke Ideguchi and Yuya Kewasaki, Takahiro Ogihara and Gakeru Yamauchi were placed in midfield. Yoshinori Muto and Yuya Osako led the attack.
From the beginning of the game, Tottenham was dragged away by an unexpected first goal. In the 9th minute of the first half, midfielder Sar reached out to clear a cross from the side, which deflected off Sar and headed for Osako. Osako lightly pushed it into the goal and scored a lucky first goal against Tottenham.
Tottenham, which was briefly shaken by the first goal, soon balanced it with an equalizer. In the 16th minute of the first half, Kulusevski connected a sensational pass to Porro in the penalty box, and Porro beat the defense and fired a left-footed shot to shake Vissel Kobe’s net. Tottenham ended the first half 1-1 thanks to Porro’s equalizer.
Tottenham, which boosted its momentum after the equalizer, succeeded in turning the tables early in the second half, bringing the lead. Son Heung-min, Tottenham’s leading striker and team captain, scored a come-from-behind goal.
In the third minute of the second half, Johnson caught a long pass sent by the prisoner to the front and sent a low cross to the gate. Son Heung-min, who smelled the goal, gave the team the lead by drilling through the goalkeeper with a right foot shot. Son Heung-min, who scored in about two weeks after a closed friendly match against Cambridge United (England’s third division) on the 13th, scored in a pre-season game to boost his senses.
After scoring the goal, Son even performed his signature goal ceremony, “Click Ceremony.” Son also performed the ceremony at the stadium, where Park Ji-sung, former captain of the Korean national soccer team, flattened Japan by performing a “walk ceremony” after scoring a goal in the national team match against Japan.
Tottenham gave other players a chance by using replacement cards after Son Heung-min’s come-from-behind goal. Son Heung-min and Johnson headed to the bench, and Manor Solomon and Mikey Moore were put in place of the two players.
Son Heung-min, the main character of the come-from-behind goal, left the stadium with a standing ovation from 55,000 fans gathered at Tokyo National Stadium.
Vissel Kobe’s pursuit was not easy. Brazilian striker Jean Patrici, who was substituted in the 19th minute of the second half, passed the defender from the right side of the penalty box and calmly scored a left-footed shot to break into Tottenham’s net. Tottenham allowed a run just four minutes after Son Heung-min was out.
Tottenham, which later used replacement cards to replace all the starting players, knocked on Vissel Kobe’s goal to bring back the lead, but failed to harvest it. There were decisive opportunities in the 22nd minute, 24th minute of the second half, and 31st minute of the second half, but it was regrettable that they could not score these opportunities.
Without Son Heung-min, Tottenham’s troubleshooter was Moore. Moore, who missed a chance for a free header earlier, scored in the 43rd minute of the second half with a shot that turned Jamie Donley’s cutback pass towards the goal. Tottenham kept its lead until the game ended, including three minutes of added time in the second half, ending the friendly match with Vissel Kobe with a 3-2 victory.
After completing his Japanese schedule, Son and Tottenham head to Korea, Son’s home country. It has been two years since he visited Korea in 2022. Son Heung-min, who was then the top scorer in the Premier League and greeted his Tottenham teammates in Korea, will now become Tottenham’s captain and lead the team to Korea. 여우알바
Tottenham will have pre-season friendly matches with K-League All-Stars on March 31 and Bayern Munich, Kim Min-jae’s team, on March 3. Both matches will take place at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Korean fans can see the rare sight of Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae, the pillars of the Korean national soccer team, blocking each other. Although it is not an official match, it is the first time that the two players face each other in a club team.
However, Harry Kane, who left Tottenham for Munich ahead of last season and was expected to face his former team in the friendly, missed the tour on vacation after participating in the UEFA 2024 European Championship (Euro 2024).
Earlier, Tottenham’s visit to Korea in 2022 was evaluated as a success. At that time, Tottenham received favorable reviews by meeting fans through open training in Korea and showing some players actively trying to communicate with fans, such as experiencing Korean culture.
Seville, who visited Korea at the same time as Tottenham and played a friendly match, also returned to Spain with considerable favor to domestic fans, such as taking a group photo with the Korean national flag.
