The reason for Son Heung-min's replacement in the EPL opening match has been revealed
Tottenham of the English Premier League played its opening match of the 2024-25 season early on the 20th. Their opponent was Leicester. The match was held at King Power Stadium, Leicester's home stadium. Tottenham scored the first goal in the first half but drew when it equalized Leicester's Vardy in the second half. The media expected an easy win over Rest, who returned to the Premier League, but the result was a draw and a point was divided. However, there was a rather unique scene on the day. It was the moment when Son replaced him. As a starter, Son played until almost the end of the second half. He was substituted for Hishalisson in extra time, 90 minutes after the first half. He was the sixth player to be replaced. After conceding the equalizer to Vardy, Tottenham replaced a number of its players to secure victory. Thirty minutes into the second half, Tottenham manager Anze Postecoglou replaced Beribal, Werner, and Gray at the same time, excluding Sar, Johnson, and Bentancourt. Kulusevski also replaced Madison. Postecoglou had high expectations for a goal in the second half when Spence and Hishalisson were added, excluding Porro and Son Heung-min, but the score ended in failure. However, Tottenham added a total of six substitute players on the day. British media including the Mail reported that Tottenham has replaced a total of six players in the opening match against Leicester. Media reports point out that fans may have questions about the additional replacement, although only five players can be replaced under Premier League rules. He explained the reason. Half an hour into the second half, Bentancur crashed head-on with Abdul-Fattau in Leicester's camp. Bentancur showed signs of concussion and was carried off the ground on a stretcher. Afterwards, Tottenham added five more substitute players, as explained earlier. Media outlets explained that the Premier League allows teams to replace up to five players during a game. It was first introduced at the start of the 2022-23 season. For your information, the K League has increased the number of replacements from three to five since the 2021 season. The Premier League has agreed to apply the concussion player replacement rule recommended by the International Football Council (IFAB) on a trial basis in 2021. The move was aimed at protecting players from nerve damage after suffering head injuries. In other words, if they have symptoms of concussion, the team will be allowed to replace two more players who were diagnosed with concussion during the game, in addition to the five replacements. If the doctor judges that the injured player is showing signs of concussion, the player will not be allowed to return to the stadium. Of course, if the doctor diagnoses that it is okay to continue running, he or she can play again. In the event of a concussion, any of the nine players on the replacement list can play instead. Of course, even if all five substitutes have been added, additional players can be added. So Bentancur was Tottenham's first replacement against Leicester, but because of a concussion, Hishalisson could be put in without Son Heung-min.