▲ Bae Jun-ho
Stoke City of England, featuring South Korean national football team forward Bae Jun-ho as a substitute, played to a 1-1 draw against Valencia of Spain in their final pre-season friendly ahead of the new season.
Stoke City, competing in the English Championship (second tier), tied 1-1 with Valencia of Spain's La Liga (first tier) in the match held at the bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England, on August 2 (KST).
Bae Jun-ho, an attacking midfielder who returned to Stoke City following a break after the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, started on the bench and came on as a substitute in the 31st minute of the second half. He showed an aggressive presence, including attempting one shot, but did not record an attacking point.
Valencia opened the scoring.
In the 12th minute of the first half, Arnaut Danjuma turned a cutback from Javi Guerra on the right side of the penalty area into a right-footed shot from the right side of the goal area, successfully finding the net.
Trailing 0-1 at halftime, Stoke City leveled the score in the 11th minute of the second half through an own goal.
Stoke City midfielder Million Manhoef sent a cross toward the goal from the right side of the penalty area, which Valencia defender Miguel Monferrer attempted to clear with a header only for it to head into his own net.
Bae Jun-ho, who had been waiting on the bench, stepped onto the pitch as a substitute in the 31st minute of the second half, making his first appearance in his club's pre-season friendlies.
Shortly after coming on, Bae intercepted a clearance by an opposing defender near the front of the penalty arc and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot.
However, the ball deflected off an opposing defender and missed the target.
In the end, Stoke City and Valencia failed to score additional goals and concluded the friendly with a 1-1 draw.
Stoke City will play their first round of the 2026-2027 Carabao Cup against Oldham Athletic (fourth tier) on August 8 local time.
(Photo: Captured from Stoke City SNS, Yonhap News)
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