Tottenham Hotspur survived a second-half capitulation to run out 4-3 winners over a K-League XI at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in South Korea and maintain their 100% record in pre-season.
Ange Postecoglou's men threatened to run away with the contest in the opening 45 minutes, where Dejan Kulusevski drew first blood before home favourite Son Heung-min bagged a brilliant brace to put the Lilywhites' three goals to the good at the break.
However, the half-time introduction of Stanislav Iljutcenko breathed new life into the K-League XI, as the Russian struck a quickfire brace before the young Will Lankshear restored Tottenham's breathing space.
A beautiful late volley from Oberdan Alionco set up a tantalising finale, but there would be no more twists to the thrilling tale in Seoul, as Tottenham made it five wins from five in their friendly period.
Following up previous successes over Cambridge United, Hearts, Queens Park Rangers and Vissel Kobe, Spurs once again dazzled and delighted in attack, but their defensive collapse in the second 45 may trigger an alarm bell or two.
The Son shines bright in first-half whitewash
© Imago
There were no prizes for guessing which Tottenham player stole the pre-game fanfare, as Son Heung-min enjoyed a typical hero's welcome in Seoul and did not let the expectant crowds down.
The South Korea international played a significant role in Spurs' first goal of the contest in the 29th minute, as Hyeon-woo Jo parried his strike back into the danger area, where Kulusevski reacted quickest to chip the K-League goalkeeper.
After playing provider - of sorts - Son remained up to his usual tricks on the left-hand side and got his name on the scoresheet just eight minutes later, twisting and turning his marker before finding the top corner with a sublime strike from just inside the box.
The cherry on top arrived in first-half injury time, where Son and Kulusevski's devastating central link-up ended with the former skipping past a K-League defender as if he was not even there, before coolly slotting home a well-earned second.
Inspired Iljutcenko threatens K-League comeback
© Imago
Postecoglou kept his changes to a minimum during the half-time interval, only making three alterations for the second 45, but Team K-League boss Park Tae-ha did not shy away from shuffling the pack, swapping out all but one of his troops.
One of those alterations saw the introduction of FC Seoul attacker Iljutcenko, who needed just seven minutes to have a telling impact, firing home from an unmissable angle after Brandon Austin could only parry an effort into his path.
Just two minutes after wiping out Spurs' clean sheet, Iljutcenko astonishingly cut the arrears down to one thanks to a terrific diving header, giving Emerson Royal the slip and meeting a well-placed cross from the right.
Lankshear tapping in from Timo Werner's cross allowed Spurs to breathe a little easier, that was until Alionco smashed in a wonderful volley from an Austin punch, but even though Spurs held out for the spoils, the K-League stars gave a brilliant account of themselves in the second 45.
Emerson raises eyebrows before and during the match
![Tottenham Hotspur's Emerson Royal on December 3, 2023 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/25/emerson-royal.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Tottenham Hotspur's Emerson Royal on December 3, 2023 [IMAGO]")
© Imago
Even before the first ball was kicked in Seoul, Spurs' team news was dominated by the inclusion of Emerson Royal, who started at centre-back as Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall linked up in midfield.
For weeks on end, the Brazilian has been linked with a switch to Italian giants AC Milan, and it has been reported that negotiations are now heading in the right direction, but his selection for Wednesday's game suggests a deal is not quite imminent.
Whether Emerson believes he can reignite his Tottenham career only he and Postecoglou know, but he did not do himself any favours for Team K-League's second goal, where he was caught completely unawares by the movement of Iljutcenko.
What next for Tottenham in pre-season?
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Now two games into their tour of Asia, Tottenham conclude their South Korea stopover at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday, where Bayern Munich provide their toughest opposition so far.
Postecoglou's men then re-acclimatise to English soil and host the German giants in North London on August 10, before travelling to Leicester City for their Premier League opener on August 19.
Ben Knapton
