Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur delivered a slice of football history on Thursday by staging the first North London derby outside the United Kingdom as nearly 50,000 fans packed Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium for a pre-season friendly. The mouth-watering clash proved so popular that around 20,000 people turned up just to watch the two teams train, underlining the rarity of Premier League local rivals facing off in pre-season friendlies. Despite tickets costing as much as 2,499 HKD ($318.35), fans considered the historic occasion worth every penny as the North London rivalry finally crossed continents.
Fans of the London derby travelled far and wide to get to the game in Hong Kong
The match ended 1-0 to Spurs with their Senegal midfielder Pape Matar Sarr scoring the winner late in the first half with a spectacular strike from near the center circle after he spotted goalkeeper David Raya off his line. Something that the soccer world hardly sees, so for it to happen in a London derby in Hong Kong, made the game feel extra special.
Fans came from as far away as Australia, where both teams have become immensely popular in recent years as they both have ambitious goals for international growth.
“I’m extremely excited. Firstly, watching Arsenal, it’s my second time. I was excited then, I’m still excited now, but this is the North London Derby. This is the one game where we’re very nervous … It’s probably a childhood dream, man, to come watch a North London derby.” – Khalid Saleh, a 33-year-old Arsenal fan from Perth.
Arsenal’s appeal reaches into parts of the world they never thought possible
For many Arsenal fans, the main attraction was watching their 76 million euros ($86.72 million) Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres making his debut, part of the club’s close-season spending spree approaching 200 million pounds ($263.94 million). Wearing the iconic number 14 shirt, Gyokeres came on as a late substitute, welcomed onto the pitch with a huge roar that echoed around the stadium, which had its roof closed.
“We just signed a new striker, probably the first (specialist) striker we signed since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. We’re feeling super, super confident, obviously. Probably one of the best transfer windows.” – Mo Muse, an Arsenal fan from Melbourne.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was ‘amazed’ by the support, thanking them for their patience after Arsenal returned to Hong Kong for the first time since 2012. While their rivals, Manchester United are busy in the United States preparing for the new season, Arsenal are having a great time in Asia.
“It just makes you feel how wonderful and big this football club is and how lucky we are to have the support with the level of intensity as well that people love our football club here, so it was great to witness,”- Arsenal Manager, Mikel Arteta
Tottenham Hotspur is in a rebuild mode at the moment
Spurs supporters, meanwhile, were eager to see their captain Son Heung-min, with many fearing it could be their last chance to watch the 33-year-old South Korea forward in the club’s colors amid transfer speculation. “Sonny has stayed for a decade in Tottenham,” said Spurs fan Patrick Lau, who held a placard with pictures of the talismanic forward. As Chelsea recently wrapped up the Club World Cup, with a little distraction from Donald Trump, English soccer is doing better than ever.
“No matter whether Sonny decides to stay or maybe move to the next chapter, we are so glad that Son has stayed for Tottenham for a decade. He is our legend forever!” Simba, a Spurs fan from Hangzhou, said he bought tickets for the match mainly to watch Son, who also came on as a substitute. “I came because Son Heung-min might leave the team,” he said. “I hope to see him a few more times and watch him one last time, as he’s my favourite player.”
Coaches Database/REUTERS
