Tottenham’s pre-season tour of Australia continued with a friendly against Sydney FC at the Allianz Stadium in the Sydney Super Cup. After a 2-0 win over Auckland FC on Sunday, with goals from Richarlison and Dane Scarlett, Spurs aimed for a third pre-season victory before their clash with Chelsea. Sandro Tonali hoped for his first minutes after missing the previous match with a minor issue, while Mateus Fernandes was available after injury fears were dismissed.
First Half: Spurs Dominate but Fail to Score
Spurs started brightly, with a high press that forced errors from Sydney FC. In the opening 15 minutes, they made 16 final-third entries but could not convert chances. Manor Solomon and Brennan Gallagher were both guilty of missing opportunities. Gallagher had a clear chance from a Solomon cutback but failed to score.
Martin Tel was lively on the ball, but his cross went awry after he beat his defender. A free kick from Tel was claimed by Sydney goalkeeper Hoefsloot, and a corner from Tel led to a penalty shout when Ben Davies went down under a challenge from Grant, but the referee waved play on.
Dubravka Saves and Defensive Solidity
Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was called into action in the 25th minute, making a good save to deny Youlley from distance. Sydney also threatened with a clipped ball over the top for De Jesus, but it rolled out of play. Former Tottenham captain Ledley King watched from the stands as Spurs fielded an experimental defense.
Sam Tabuteau reported that Spurs’ high press worked well early on, but they needed to make their dominance count. The match remained 0-0 as the first half progressed, with both sides creating half-chances.
