Coupang Play Series ends with a lot of drama but a little less heart

The 2023 edition of the Coupang Play Series ended Thursday with a 3-0 PSG win over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, ending a two-week run that brought the Ligue 1 champions, European treble winners Manchester City and La Liga side Atletico Madrid to Korea.

Marco Asensio fires the ball into the back of the net for Paris Saint-Germain's third goal in a game against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan on Thursday. [NEWS1]

The 2023 edition of the Coupang Play Series ended last Thursday with a 3-0 Paris Saint-Germain win over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, ending a two-week run that brought the Ligue 1 champions, European treble winners Manchester City and La Liga side Atletico Madrid to Korea.

Coupang Play went bigger with this year’s edition of the tour, inviting three teams rather than two for three action-packed games spread over two weeks, also heading outside of the greater Seoul area for the first time to stage one game in Busan.

The series started in Seoul on July 27, with Atletico taking on Team K League — a sort-of cobbled together all-star team of players from across the domestic league.

Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann dribbles the ball during a game against Manchester City at Seoul World Cup Stadium on July 30. [YONHAP]

Like all exhibition matches, it was very much a game of two halves. Atletico opted to field their strongest squad in the first half, with the K League exploiting that move by putting in their strongest players in the second half. The gamble paid off, with the league’s best and brightest ultimately beating Atletico 3-2 in the first major upset of the series.

Three days later and it was time for another upset. European champions City had rolled in to town for a brief three-day stopover, facing Atletico in their sole game in Korea on July 30.

But it was Atletico that walked away victorious in Seoul. After a fairly evenly-matched first half, both teams fielded a weaker squad toward the end of the game and the Spanish side broke through, bagging two quick goals to take the game and convert the 50,000 Manchester City fans in the stands.

Erling Haaland applauds the crowd at the end of a game between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on July 30. [NEWS1]

The series then pivoted down to Busan for what felt like a hastily-added final match between Ligue 1 champions PSG and, somewhat confusingly, K League side Jeonbuk, who are neither the league leaders, the reigning champions or the closest club to Busan.

The PSG game was the only match of the series that went the way the numbers suggested, with Neymar making his first start since February to hammer in two goals and set up a beautiful third from Marco Asensio for a 3-0 win.

That game was overshadowed by an injury to Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in — who was signed this summer and was undoubtedly the reason for the sudden addition of the game. Lee’s fitness remained in question right up until a few days before the game, likely hitting ticket sales as well with the stadium only at about 80 percent capacity.

But Lee did appear for the final 20 minutes of the game, becoming the only Korean player to step onto a pitch during this year’s Coupang Play Series outside of the Team K League squad.

Lee Kang-in, left, congratulates Neymar after the Brazilian forward scored Paris Saint-Germain's second goal in a game against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan on Thursday. [NEWS1]

That brief appearance from Lee was enough for the fans at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Thursday, but it does serve to underscore what did emerge as a running theme throughout this year’s series — plenty of top teams and world-class players, but very little commitment to the Korean market.

When the Coupang Play Series launched last year it brought Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and La Liga side Sevilla to Korea for an extended stay, both playing two games here but also staying for more than a week as they trained and held numerous other events in around Seoul.

That interest in the Korean market was noticeably absent this year. Atletico Madrid were the only team to commit more than a cursory stop in Korea, visiting the country for the best part of a week before flying to Mexico for the La Liga Summer Tour.

Man City and PSG, however, both stopped in Korea for a brief stopover on the way back from far longer commitments in Japan. City spent three nights here and PSG one, with both teams flying home immediately after their games were finished.

There were teams that had planned a longer stay in Korea. Wolverhampton Wanderers in particular were scheduled to spend the best part of two weeks here, but their visit fell apart after local promoters — not Coupang Play — failed to meet financial commitments.

The 2023 Coupang Play Series was, undoubtedly, a big success, giving football fans here a rare chance to see some of the world’s best on Korean soil. But it lacked some of the personal touch that made Tottenham and Sevilla’s visit last year so special.

If the series returns for a third year in 2024, and considering Coupang Play’s massive investment in football, it likely will the organizers ought to try and find a balance between the first and second edition — keep all the action, but put some of the heart back in.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]