Tottenham Hotspur faced their first defeat of the pre-season as they were beaten 2-1 by Bayern Munich in front of a sell-out crowd in Seoul. Despite the absence of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, James Maddison, and summer signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall all featured for Spurs. However, they were outplayed by the Bundesliga giants.
Bayern Munich took an early lead when Gabriel Vidovic capitalized on a poor pass from Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Leon Goretzka then doubled their advantage after the break. Although Pedro Porro’s 25-yard strike reduced the arrears, Spurs were unable to find an equalizer against Bayern. Former Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha also made a second-half appearance for the Bundesliga side.
Tottenham’s next match will be against Bayern again, this time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 10th. It will be interesting to see if they can bounce back from their defeat and put up a better performance against the German giants.
Meanwhile, Newcastle suffered a 2-0 loss to Yokohama F Marinos in the final match of their tour of Japan. Brazilian winger Elber and midfielder Jun Amano scored the goals for the J League club in Tokyo. It was Lloyd Kelly’s first appearance in Newcastle colors.
Several other Premier League clubs are currently on overseas tours as they prepare for the upcoming season. Aston Villa will face Mexico’s Club America in Chicago, while Chelsea will play Manchester City at the Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Ipswich, who have been promoted to the Premier League, secured a 1-0 victory against Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in Austria. However, Leicester City, the Championship winners from last season, suffered a 1-0 defeat against Augsburg.
In England, Everton’s new signings Jake O’Brien and Jesper Lindstrom both scored on their first appearances for the club, helping them secure a 3-0 win against Preston. Dominic Calvert-Lewin also added a goal to complete the scoring. Brighton won 1-0 against Queens Park Rangers, Southampton claimed a narrow 1-0 victory against Millwall, and Brentford drew 1-1 against Watford.
It’s clear that pre-season is a crucial time for teams to fine-tune their performances and build chemistry among players, especially for new signings. While defeats can be disappointing, they also serve as valuable learning experiences and opportunities for teams to identify areas for improvement before the start of the new campaign. The upcoming matches will be crucial for teams to assess their progress and make any necessary adjustments before the official season kicks off.