PAIK JI-HWAN
A large crowd of fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul welcomed Tottenham Hotspur in sweltering heat during an open training session on Tuesday, a day before the Coupang Play Series match between Spurs and Team K League.
Spurs held a one-hour training session in front of the crowd, playing a short practice game.
Fans cheered when Tottenham captain Son Heung-min entered the pitch with other players. People peppered some of their loudest roars when either Son or Richarlison appeared on the big screen.
Richarlison occasionally waved to fans during the training, drawing an even bigger ovation.
The crowd also shouted Son's name throughout the training, with some fans wearing Tottenham jerseys to show their support for the London club.
Son did what he's best at during the practice game, breaking through defense from the edge to attempt shots. His teammates also boasted their forte, making quick movements to counter attack and clearing the ball like they would in a competitive match.
After the training, the entire squad waved to fans as they walked alongside the touchline.
The Coupang Play Series is a preseason exhibition series featuring European teams and Team K League — consisting of 22 players from the K League picked by K League fans and coaches for Wednesday’s match against Spurs.
This year marks Spurs' second appearance in the series after featuring in its inaugural year in 2022.
After Wednesday’s match against Team K League, Spurs will play Bayern Munich at the same venue on Saturday as part of the series.
Both fixtures, set to kick off at 8 p.m., are only available on streaming service Coupang Play in Korea.
BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]