Pape Mattharsson stood by his captain to prevent Arsenal players from disturbing Son Heung-min.
Tottenham lost the 35th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) season against Arsenal, 3-2, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on Aug. 28 (ET). The loss further diminished Spurs’ chances of a top-four finish.
It was a tough 90 minutes for Spurs fans to watch. Spurs started to fall apart after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s unfortunate own goal in the 15th minute. They were unable to control a counter-attack from Xherdan Shaqiri in the 27th minute, and their weak set-pieces became a problem again in the 38th minute. Tottenham tried to fight back after Cristian Romero’s gritty equalizer, but Son Heung-min’s penalty late on was all they could muster.
It was Pape Sarr, the youngest player to ever play for Tottenham, who brought a smile to the faces of frustrated Spurs fans. It happened before Son Heung-min took the penalty.
Declan Rice kicked Ben Davies inside the penalty box, but referee Michael Oliver waved play on. After the VAR told the referee that the call needed to be reviewed, an on-field review was conducted.
Referee Oliver reviewed the incident again and awarded a penalty kick. Son Heung-min took the ball to prepare for the penalty kick. At that moment, Ben White came toward him. White appeared to approach Son Heung-min in an attempt to distract him. It is believed that White was speaking to Son Heung-min and was trying to engage in ‘trash talk’.
That’s when Pape Saar came into play. He stood next to Son Heung-min as White continued to hover around him, preventing White from getting any closer to Son Heung-min. Son was completely ignoring White’s behavior before Pepe came to his aid, but thanks to Pepe, Son was able to focus on the penalty kick. And he converted the penalty cleanly.
The young 2002-born player showed exemplary behavior to protect the team’s most senior player, 1992-born Son Heung-min. The image of Pepe trying to protect Son Heung-min has gone viral on social 토토사이트 media, with fans applauding his actions.
Pepe’s actions may have been a way for him to pay back the player who helped him so much when he moved to Tottenham. Pepe once admitted that Son Heung-min helped him a lot when he was struggling to adapt after his move to Tottenham.
In the midst of his good form this season, Pepe was in danger of being ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations due to injury. He broke down in tears on the pitch, and it was Son Heung-min who hugged him and comforted him. The bromance between the two players is set to continue.