Tottenham Hotspur edged past Sydney FC in a penalty shootout during their pre-season tour of Australia at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.
The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Spurs eventually claiming a 4-2 victory from the spot to continue their promising summer preparations.
Mathys Tel was the standout performer in the first half, curling a stunning free-kick over the wall and into the top right corner of the net after 29 minutes.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side had looked sharp in patches, with Conor Gallagher striking the right-hand post from a Manor Solomon pass in the opening stages.
Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka also produced a full-length save to push out a Youlley effort, keeping Sydney at bay during a period of pressure from the hosts.
Sydney equalised in the second half when Kota Takai’s interception turned into a perfect pass for Takahiro Sekine, who ran through and finished calmly.
De Zerbi made a series of changes throughout the match, with Andy Robertson, Mason Melia, Dane Scarlett, Yang Min-hyeok and Jamie Donley all coming on during the second period.
Luca Williams-Barnett hit the crossbar with a left-footed effort before also providing a key assist for Sandro Tonali’s chance, which the keeper saved.
In the shootout, Williams-Barnett opened the scoring by chipping a Panenka into the net, with Tonali and Robertson also converting before Scarlett rolled home the winning penalty.
Dubravka saved from Popovic during the shootout, while Jamie Donley had a penalty well saved and Joe Lacey struck the post for Sydney.
Former Liverpool man Robertson has been tipped as a potential future Spurs captain, with Louis Saha telling Casinolyze: “I’d like to see Andy Robertson as Spurs captain, because when you make those transfers it’s important that he is allowed to bring his experience and credibility.”
Saha added: “He’s a great player and very reliable, but he also brings knowledge of how Klopp did things at Liverpool. He’s been involved in the development of Liverpool.”
The former striker also stressed the importance of the appointment, saying: “I think it’s a great opportunity for Tottenham to get that information. They need to understand how to avoid the situation they were in last year.”
Mateus Fernandes was not expected to feature in Sydney, with football.london reporting the Portuguese midfielder does not carry an injury despite concerns circulating on social media.
Spurs had previously beaten MK Dons at Hotspur Way and Auckland FC in New Zealand, making this their second fixture of their Australian leg of the pre-season tour.
