It wasn’t the superstar goal you’d expect. It wasn’t even a spectacular move, but the English Premier League (EPL) “monster striker” Elling Holland won the hearts of the 60,000 fans who waited for him with his fiery fan service.

Holland failed to score in the Coupang Play invitational friendly against Spanish Primera Liga powerhouse Atletico Madrid at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul on Tuesday. Holland, who started as a frontline striker, played 55 minutes before leaving the field in the 10th minute of the second half. However, he did not have the impact that was expected of him.

Holland was the hottest player in professional soccer around the world in the 2022-2023 season. In his first season, he led the league in scoring with 36 goals, including four hat tricks. He also scored 12 goals in the UEFA Champions League (UCL). Holland scored 52 goals in 53 official games last season. Born in 2000, Holland led City to the English Football Association (FA) Cup and UCL titles, completing a triple European treble.
It was a packed house at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. All 65,800 seats were sold out, and despite a 40-minute delay in kickoff due to a sudden downpour, fans waited for Holland.

Soccer fans came to the World Cup stadium wearing a wide variety of jerseys as if they were ready to enjoy the game. FC Seoul and Tottenham jerseys were prominent. However, the majority of the fans were wearing blue, like Man City’s home stadium, the Etihad Stadium. As he stepped onto the field to warm up, the fans greeted him enthusiastically, and he waved to them and returned their cheers.

But Holland didn’t score. Holland’s orange cleats flashed up front, but he was pinned down by the opposition defense. Holland was subbed off 10 minutes into the second half. After Holland left the field, the goals began to pour in. In the 21st minute of the second half, AT Madrid’s Memphis Depay split the City goal with a right-footed shot after a fantastic two-on-one with Angel Correa. Eight minutes later, in the 29th minute, Yannick Carrasco rattled the City net with a mid-range shot from the edge of the penalty area on a counterattack. City didn’t stand still. 토토사이트 They pulled one back in the 40th minute on a header by Jubeng Dias following a Sergio Gomes corner.

At the end of the game, Holland ran around the pitch, over a billboard, and into the stands. He took off his jersey and threw it into the crowd. “I’m a Holland fan from now on,” he said to the crowd.