Tottenham made it four wins from four pre-season matches this afternoon in a seven goal thriller against Team K League, with Heung-min Son scoring a brace back in his home country.
The top team from South Korea looked to be thoroughly beaten by Spurs when Heung-min Son scored twice after Dejan Kulusevski's opener. However, a wild second half saw Stanislav Iljutcenko score two goals, followed by goals from Will Lankshear and Oberdan, as the Premier League team narrowly secured their fourth pre-season win in Seoul.
Spurs started strong with Son leading the charge from the left flank, although his early attempt to set up Pape Sarr resulted in a wide shot.
Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson forced a sharp double save from Jo Hyeon-woo, and the hosts' best chance of the first half was a shot over the bar by Yang Min-Hyuk, who was playing against his future team just days after signing from Gangwon.
This prompted Ange Postecoglou to urge his players to "press man to man" during the water break after several Team K League breakaways easily advanced.
Lucas Bergvall nearly scored a second goal quickly after latching onto Kulusevski's cross, only to hit the underside of the crossbar.
Brandon Austin, Oliver Skipp, and James Maddison entered the game after the break, and Maddison's corner led to Emerson Royal hitting the bar early in the second half as the hosts introduced their best foreign players.
K League top scorer Iljutcenko was initially offside for an easy finish in the 50th minute but scored moments later, despite again appearing to be offside, making it 3-1. Within minutes, Spurs' lead was reduced to one with a deft header by the Russian veteran.
The game settled by the 64th minute when Spurs made seven substitutions, bringing in players like Mikey Moore, Lankshear, and Timo Werner. The substitutes connected well, with Lankshear scoring from Werner's cross, giving Spurs some breathing room.
This was crucial, as Team K League continued to push hard and Oberdan's stunning volley from a half-cleared corner made for an exciting final ten minutes. Spurs managed to hold onto the win, with Maddison hitting the post in the final moments. They will stay in Seoul for a match against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
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