Son Heung-min (31) is slowly raising his form. He did not score the goal he expected, but he received a fair evaluation for his efforts in linkage play with his teammates.
Tottenham won 5-1 thanks to the performance of Kane, who scored 4 goals in a pre-season friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 6th (Korean time).
With this, Tottenham스포츠토토 continued their two-game winning streak in the pre-season. On the last Australia-Asia tour, they lost 2-3 to West Ham and beat Lion City 5-1, recording two consecutive 5-1 wins. Their pre-season record is 2 wins and 1 loss.
On this day, Son Heung-min played the second pre-season game following the previous Lion City match. He started as a left-sided attacker and played 78 minutes. He was active on the flanks and made several sharp passes and crosses. As usual, there was no explosive breakthrough or dribbling, and he focused on linking play with his teammates. In the course of Harry Kane’s penalty kick (PK) opening goal at the end of the first half, he collaborated with James Madison on PK judo.
On this day, coach Enze Postecoglu put forward a 4-3-3 formation. Kane, who was rumored to be transferring to Bayern Munich, wore the captain’s armband and stepped out as a forward striker. Son Heung-min started as a left-sided striker. Dejan Klusevski took over the attack on the right flank.
‘Transfer student’ James Madison started as an attacking midfielder, and the midfield was built by Pierre-Emile Hoivier and Pape Sar. The four back consisted of Destiny’s Udozi, Ben Davis, Christian Romero, and Emerson Royal. In goal was Guglielmo Vicario.
From the beginning, the ‘Sonke Combination’ shone. In the 8th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min stabbed a killer pass towards Kane, who was digging into the space behind the defense. Kane shot from the middle of the penalty box, but it didn’t lead to a goal.
Kane, who aimed at the zero point, scored the first goal from a penalty kick (PK). Son Heung-min helped lead PK with Madison. In the 37th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min, who was on the left side, passed to Madison in the box, and when Madison caught the ball, he tripped over the opponent’s defense and fell. The referee immediately blew his whistle and declared a PK.
Kane acted as a PK kicker and cut the net with a strong shot to the right side of the goal. The goalkeeper steered and dived, but was unable to block a shot that quickly went to the edge of the net. Kane, who scored the goal, was the first to hug Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min and Kane continued to work together. At the end of the first half, Son Heung-min stabbed a sharp forward pass toward Kane in the front, just as he did at the beginning of the game. However, Kane’s shooting opportunity was destroyed as the opponent’s defense cut it by a narrow margin.
Shakhtar, who was shrunken, equalized with a blow in the first half of extra time. Kelsey jumped up from Seacan’s cross and headed it to score. The first half ended 1-1.
Kane’s terrifying activity began. He scored multiple goals in the 5th minute of the second half. Kane jumped up from Madison’s cross from the left flank and connected it with a header, shaking the net.
Kane then completed a hat-trick in the 9th minute of the second half. The scoring started at Son Heung-min’s toes. Heung-Min Son passed from the left flank to Klusevski in the center. Klusepski stabbed a forward pass towards Kane penetrating deep into the box and Kane finished it with his right foot.
Son Heung-min and Kane’s good chemistry unfolded again, but it did not lead to a goal. In the 17th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min’s low cross from the left flank was connected by Kane with a sensuous heel kick, but he turned away from the goal. The preseason’s first ‘Sonke Collaboration Goal’ didn’t seem to explode.
Son Heung-min’s proprietary winding kick came out, but it went off the goalpost and swallowed regret. In the 25th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min, who received Madison’s pass, tried to shoot near the left corner of the box, the so-called ‘Son Heung-min Zone’, but it flew over the goal.
Kane completed ‘Fort Trick’ and showed off his peak form. In the 34th minute of the second half, when Solomon’s shot from the left side of the box was blocked by the goalkeeper, he pushed the second ball straight in and succeeded in scoring. In the last minute of the match, 19-year-old rookie Dane Scarlett scored an extra goal and Tottenham won 5-1.
Son Heung-min was replaced by Manor Solomon, who transferred this summer, in the 33rd minute of the second half to finish the game. According to ‘Sofa Score’, a statistics media outlet, Son Heung-min hit a shot that day, but there was no effective shot and he recorded 3 key passes. ‘Sofascore’ gave Son Heung-min a rating of 7.3. Kane scored 100,000, Madison 9.5, Klusepski 8.9, Udozi 7.8, Hoivier 7.4 and Royal 7.5. Son Heung-min received the 7th highest rating among Tottenham selections.
England’s ‘Football London’ gave Son Heung-min a rating of 8 and praised him, saying, “He was active on the left and had good breathing with Doji Woo. He connected a pass to Madison, who induced a PK. He was involved in everything in Tottenham.” I gave Kane 10 points, Kulusevski 9 points, and Madison 8 points.
Britain’s ’90MIN’ mentioned Son Heung-min and Madison’s collaboration. “Madison relieved the pressure on Son Heung-min. So, Son Heung-min attacked the space behind the defense more smoothly,” he said.
Coach Postecoglu, who made his home debut, said through England’s ‘Football London’, “We played a fun game in a great stadium with many home fans cheering.” Regarding Kane, who scored 4 goals behind the transfer rumors with Munich, “There is no doubt about Kane’s skills. He has already shown good skills in his career. Today was very good.” There are some things that need to be corrected,” he said.
When asked about Kane’s transfer rumors, he said, “I don’t really know what the transfer deadline means. Aside from that, I have an ongoing conversation with Kane. He tells me to talk to him when things change. I need to know what I come and go between (the transfer rumors). I just need to know what lies in front of me right now. Kane was with me today, and if nothing changes, I will continue to be with him.”
Tottenham will play the last pre-season friendly against Barcelona on the 8th, and then start the opening game of the English Premier League (EPL) with Brentford on the 13th.