Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-min has engraved his name in history as he scored the club's first-ever goal at their new home stadium.
Son became the first player to score a goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Wednesday (local time) after he hit the net against Crystal Palace in the 55th minute with his left foot.
It was also his 12th goal in the English Premier League this season. He now has 17 goals for Spurs across all competitions this season.
(Yonhap)
With his historic goal, Son also broke his five-game drought that started from the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund on Feb. 13.
Son showed his pace and skills from the start, giving a hard time to Palace defenders, especially on the flanks. In the 10th minute, Son cut inside to the penalty area and found Christian Eriksen for a shot, but the Danish midfielder's effort went wide.
In the 37th, Son fired a low right-footed shot in the box but was denied by Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
With Spurs pushing up to break the deadlock, Son finally opened the net for the hosts. Following an Eriksen pass, Son cut in from the right flank to the center and unleashed a left-footed strike inside the box. His shot took a small deflection off Palace captain Luka Milivojevic but was able to roll into the back of the net.
Eriksen then became the second man to score a goal at the new stadium when he picked up a loose ball inside the box and found the net with his left foot in the 80th. His goal sealed Spurs' 2-0 win in their new home stadium debut.
(Yonhap)
Son received a standing ovation from nearly 60,000 fans as he was substituted out for Victor Wanyama in the second-half stoppage time.
After the match, the 26-year-old said it was "amazing" to play at the new stadium, adding that he felt different from playing at Wembley Stadium, which Tottenham temporarily used as their home ground.
"What an unbelievable stadium," he told Sky Sports after the match. "The (crowd) noise was just so loud."
Son credited his historic goal to fans and teammates. Tottenham are now third in the league table with the latest win.
"To score the first goal at this stadium, it is unreal, I can't say," he said. "I want to say thank you to the teammates and the fans who supported us to get the three points." (Yonhap)
