Son Heung-min scored two goals as Tottenham Hotspur secured a narrow 4-3 victory against a team composed of top players from South Korea's K League in a friendly match.
The scoring opened in the 29th minute when Dejan Kulusevski found the net. Son then made his impact felt during his return to Seoul, curling a shot into the top corner in the 38th minute. He added a second goal shortly before halftime, finishing a Kulusevski assist to extend Spurs' lead to 3-0 at the break.
In the second half, Team K League made a complete team substitution, which led to a revival in their performance. Stanislav Iljutcenko scored twice within five minutes of the restart, reducing the deficit to 3-2.
In response, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou implemented changes to regain control. Substitute Will Lankshear volleyed in a cross from Timo Werner, restoring a two-goal cushion for Tottenham.
Team K League’s Oberdan found the back of the net with nine minutes remaining, making it 4-3, but Spurs managed to hold on for the win, with James Maddison striking the post during injury time.
Tottenham is scheduled to continue their pre-season preparations on Saturday, facing Bayern Munich at 12:00 BST in Seoul.
In other pre-season matches, Newcastle United achieved a 4-1 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan. Alexander Isak opened the scoring in the third minute, but Urawa equalized in the 23rd minute when Rio Nitta's backheel deflected off the post.
Newcastle regained the lead just before halftime with Jacob Murphy's goal and he added another two minutes after the break. Lewis Hall's deflected shot from distance capped the scoring for Newcastle.
The Magpies' next pre-season game is set for Saturday against Yokohama F. Marinos at 13:00 BST.
Southampton faced a 2-0 defeat against Championship newcomers Oxford United at Kassam Stadium. Mark Harris and Ruben Rodrigues scored for Oxford, marking Southampton's first pre-season loss. The Saints will play Millwall on Saturday.
