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Tottenham started the season with a disappointing result after failing to win the opening game.
Tottenham drew 1-1 against Leicester City in the first round of the English Premier League (EPL) in 2024-2025 season at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England on the 20th (Korea time).
Tottenham did not start the season in a good mood due to the draw of the match, but the opening match continued for four consecutive seasons. Tottenham's last defeat in the EPL opening game was in the 2020-2021 season, when they lost 0-1 to Everton at the time. The match continued to be unbeaten in the opening match with Leicester in a draw.
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Tottenham played in a 4-3-3 formation. Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson were in the front-line three-top. James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Papesar worked together in the midfield. The Four Bags consisted of Destiny Udogi, Mickey Panderpen, Christian Romero and Pedro Porro. The goal was guarded by Guglielmo Vicario.
Leicester fought back with a 4-3-3 formation. Abdul Fattau, Jamie Vardy and Bobby Reid led the attack. Facundo Buonanote, Harry Winks and Wilfred Ndidi were in the midfield. The defense was guarded by James Justin, Bout Pas, Yannick Vestergaard and Viktor Christiansen. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Mars Hermansen.
For Son Heung-min, it was a good opportunity to hit the opening celebration by meeting Leicester as his first match in the league. Son Heung-min scored nine goals, four assists, and 13 offensive points against Leicester on the EPL stage. Except for Southampton (10 goals and 5 assists), Son Heung-min scored the most offensive points.
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The game started with Tottenham's first goal. Tottenham wanted to lead the game by pressing Leicester quickly from the start. Leicester progressed little by little based on a stable development at the back.
Tottenham shook Leicester little by little with Son Heung-min on the left. In the fourth minute of the first half, Son Heung-min's cross from the left caught the defense and led to a corner kick. Madison's corner kick did not reach the striker's head.
Leicester also launched a counterattack. In the 20th minute of the first half, Patau advanced into Tottenham's camp and drew an opponent's foul to get a free kick. Reed put a free kick back into the box that Winks connected briefly, but Romero cleared it.
Tottenham took the lead by scoring the first goal first. It was an attack that started with Son Heung-min. In the 29th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min delivered a pass to Madison from the right, and Madison crossed from the front of the penalty box arc to the center. Inundated, the prisoner pushed it into his back and shook Leicester's net as it was.
Since then, both teams' attacks aimed at scoring have not paid off, and the first half ended with Tottenham's 1-0 lead.
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In the second half, Tottenham took the lead first. However, Tottenham's sharp attacks unfortunately failed to lead to a score. In the 10th minute of the second half, Solanke took his chance by receiving Madison's pass from the center of the box. He immediately tried to shoot with his right foot, but he headed in front of Hermansen. Bentancur's shot, which entered the box in the 12th minute of the second half with Johnson's pass, also failed to shake the net.
Leicester successfully counterattacked and balanced the game. In the 12th minute of the second half, Ndidi's pass was followed by Christiansen, and a cross flowed to Patau. Patau crossed into the center of the box as it was, and Vardy, who Romero missed, cut Tottenham's goal with a header in front of the gate.
Tottenham even suffered unexpected injuries. In the 26th minute of the second half, Bentancourt collapsed to the ground complaining of pain after the collision between Bentancourt and Patau inside the Leicester penalty box. It was an injury to the extent that medical staff were immediately put in. Bentancur came to his senses but was carried off the ground on a stretcher.
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Tottenham made changes through replacements. In the 34th minute of the second half, Timo Werner, Lucas Beribal, Archie Gray and Dejan Kulusevski were added, excluding Bentancourt, Sar, Johnson and Madison.
Tottenham, who took the change, began to lead the attack again. In the 39th minute of the second half, the attack that started with Son Heung-min on the right side of the penalty box continued to the front of the box. Beribal attempted a mid-range shot but was caught high by the defense. In the 42nd minute of the second half, Son Heung-min seemed to take a decisive opportunity by receiving a pass from the box, but the touch fell far and failed to penetrate the defense.
Leicester teased an opportunity to turn the tables. In the extra time of the second half, the lead crossed the ball that was taken away by pressing Beribal. Ndidi connected it with a header to aim for the corner of the goal, but Vicario blew himself and saved it.
In the end, the match ended in a 1-1 draw between the two teams.
digh1229@sportschosun.com
