Suwon: A team of South Korean league All-Stars defeated Newcastle United 1-0 in the first of two preseason matches for the Premier League club here Wednesday. Kim Jin-gyu of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors scored the match's lone goal in the first half before 27,422 fans at Suwon World Cup Stadium, located some 30 kilometers south of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Newcastle, the English Football League Cup champions, will next play the UEFA Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur at 8 p.m. Sunday at Seoul World Cup Stadium. These matches are part of the annual Coupang Play Series, which brings popular European clubs to South Korea for preseason matches each summer. Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich have also participated in the Coupang Play Series.
Newcastle United initially dominated ball possession, but Team K League had the match's first dangerous opportunity against the run of play. After a Newcastle turnover deep in their own zone, Bruno Mota teed up Lee Dong-gyeong for a left-footed shot from just outside the box that narrowly missed the target. Team K League began spending more time in the attacking zone, while Newcastle struggled with connecting passes after advancing deep into the opposition's territory.
Lee Dong-gyeong fired another shot in the 22nd minute, set up by Mota, but missed to the right again. Newcastle's Anthony Elanga nearly scored in the 31st minute with a shot that sailed over the bar. Two minutes later, Lee Chang-min also sent a shot high for Team K League, with both teams struggling to capitalize on their chances.
Kim Jin-gyu eventually broke the deadlock in the 36th minute. On a quick counterattack, Lee Dong-gyeong passed to Kim on the left side of the box, and the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder scored past Newcastle's goalkeeper, Nick Pope.
Team K League made several lineup changes for the second half, introducing foreign-born players such as Cesinha, Oberdan, Jasir Asani, Anton Krivotsyuk, Luan Dias, and Darijan Bojanic. However, it was homegrown goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min who made an early impact by denying Will Osula from close range shortly after the restart.
Osula later missed a header from an Elanga cross, and Asani struck the crossbar in the 81st minute, though the play was ruled offside. Newcastle's new South Korean player, Park Seung-soo, made his debut for the club by replacing Osula. Park, who previously played for Suwon Samsung Bluewings, brought energy to Newcastle's offense but could not change the scoreline.