TOKYO (AFP) – Teenager Mikey Moore scored the winner on Saturday as Tottenham Hotspur were made to work for a 3-2 pre-season win over reigning Japanese champions Vissel Kobe in Tokyo.
Kobe opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Yuya Osako before Pedro Porro equalised for Spurs in the 16th after Dejan Kulusevski backheeled into the box to set up the Spaniard.
Shortly after the break, Son Heung-min fired a Brennan Johnson cross on first touch into the net to take Spurs 2-1 ahead.
In the 64th minute Kobe made it 2-2, with Brazilian winger Jean Patric weaving inside and despite a poor first touch rifled the ball with his left past a diving Brandon Austin.
Spurs got the winner through 16-year-old Moore in the 88th minute with an easy tap-in in front of goal after a pass from Jamie Donley.
“Mikey has been fantastic since we brought him in… He got a run with the first team (last year) because we could see in training that he was handling himself really well and that has followed through in pre-season training,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou told reporters.
“He’s been good in all the games. He probably should have had three tonight, to be fair… All we can do is keep sort of allowing him to develop,” the Australian said, calling the youngster “super exciting”.
“I think the future with a lot of our young guys looks pretty promising, but you know it’s our responsibility to make sure they realise their potential and… that they continue to work hard at their game.” Spurs finished fifth in the English Premier League last season, having been top of the table after 10 games. Kobe are defending champions in the J1 League and are currently fourth.
After Japan, Spurs will head to Son’s home country South Korea to play a K-League All Stars XI on Wednesday before meeting Bayern Munich on August 3 in Seoul.
