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Son Dazzles in Homecoming as Tottenham Thrashes the K-League All Stars

Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korea international Son Heung-min was the star of his homecoming as he helped his side claim a thrilling 6-3 victory over the K-League All Stars at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday night.

Son returns to his homeland in Tottenham’s first pre-season match of the season, taking on the best stars of the 2022 K-League 1 season in Seoul.

This season’s K-League All Stars team include a number of recognizable names who had performed well this season, such as Gimcheon Sangmu’s Cho Gue-sung and Jeju United’s Joo Min-kyu – the highest-scoring South Koreans in this season’s K-League 1 so far, Ulsan Hyundai’s Japanese midfielder Jun Amano and goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, Pohang Steelers’ Sin Jin-ho, Suwon FC’s Lars Veldwijk, and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors’ Paik Seung-ho.

The match was pure entertainment for the neutrals, with cheers being drawn out every time Tottenham manager Antonio Conte was shown on the stadium’s scoreboard. With new signing Richarlison making his Tottenham debut, the Lilywhites took the lead in the 30th minute through Eric Dier, however Gue-sung, currently on-loan at military club Gimcheon from Jeonbuk as part of his mandatory national service, equalized right at the stroke of half-time.

A much-changed Tottenham side – now with Harry Kane and Son amongst their ranks – reclaimed the lead in the 47th minute through an own goal from Daegu FC’s Kim Jin-hyuk, however the hosts drew level in the 52nd minute thanks to a strike from Veldwijk.

Kane made it 3-2 almost immediately after Veldwijk’s equalizer and Son scored a 68th minute penalty to make it 4-2, only for Amano to make things tense for Spurs with his 71st minute goal. Despite this scare, both Kane and Son did their part to seal the win with their goals in the 75th and 81st minute respectively, sending the fans home delighted with the entertainment on display from both sides.

Tottenham will remain in South Korea for their next pre-season match, a showdown with Spanish side Sevilla at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on July 16th.