Atletico train in front of Korean fans ahead of K League clash

Atletico Madrid players train at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's game against Team K League. [NEWS1]

Atletico Madrid completed their first training session in Korea on Wednesday evening ahead of Thursday's preseason game against the all-star Team K League.

Atletico opened their training session to fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul, where they will face Team K League in a Coupang Play Series on Thursday.

A large crowd of Korean fans gathered at the stadium to show the Atletico squad some support, cheering the players’ names and applauding throughout the training session.

The Atletico players, including Antoine Griezmann and Koke, were able to put on a show despite a brief sudden downpour in the middle of the evening.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone also thanked Korean fans for their welcome and sent a ball flying into the crowd at the end of the session.

Atletico is one of the top La Liga teams and this year marks the very first time the club has visited Korea.

They will face Team K League on Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in a Coupang Series game — an annual exhibition game series launched last year — before clashing with Manchester City in the second match on Sunday at the same venue.

Thursday’s match will kick off at 8 p.m

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]