Tottenham continued their winning start to pre-season with a penalty shootout victory over Sydney FC at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday morning. Spurs had already beaten Milton Keynes and Auckland as they look to build towards Roberto De Zerbi’s first full campaign in charge since the Italian took over last term.
Mathys Tel scored a sumptuous free kick on 29 minutes as he starred off the left flank, while Andy Robertson was handed a cameo appearance in the second half to mark his debut after joining on a free transfer having left Liverpool. Lucas Bergvall played in place of Mateus Fernandes, with the summer signing left out of the matchday squad as a precautionary measure amid concern on social media that he had picked up an injury.
Sydney rallied and levelled through Takahiro Sekine, who seized upon a mistake from Kota Takai to equalise. Aleksandar Popovic missed the decisive penalty before Dane Scarlett slotted home the winner from 12 yards to keep Spurs’ good run going Down Under. They face Chelsea next up this weekend.
Sydney FC vs Tottenham latest news
- GOAL! Sekine equalises
- BAR! Willams-Barnett hits upright
- POST! Gallagher hits the woodwork
- GOAL! Tel scores superb free kick
- GOOD SAVE! Dubravka thwarts Youlley
Spurs victorious on penalties
12:56 , Oli Gent
Tottenham defeated Sydney FC 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Sydney Super Cup.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side were held in regulation time by the Australian A-League outfit at the Allianz Stadium in New South Wales.
Spurs were looking to make it three wins from three in their pre-season campaign, having defeated Milton Keynes in a behind-closed-doors friendly before their opening game of their pre-season tour Down Under.
They beat Auckland 2-0 thanks to Richarlison and Dane Scarlett’s goals, and it was the latter who notched the winning spot-kick here.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (4-2)
12:42 , Oli Gent
And Dane Scarlett wins it for Spurs, sending Hoefsloot the wrong way!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (3-2)
12:42 , Oli Gent
A big save from Dubravka!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (3-2)
12:41 , Oli Gent
Donley now for Spurs. He’s impressed De Zerbi this summer already... but he’s denied by Hoefsloot!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (3-2)
12:40 , Oli Gent
Lacey up next for Sydney... but he hits the post!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (3-2)
12:39 , Oli Gent
On debut, Robertson for Spurs. Steps up... and he slots it superbly.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (2-2)
12:39 , Oli Gent
Toure now for the hosts. He faces Dubravka... and he slides it into the corner, with the Slovakian guessing the right way!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (2-1)
12:38 , Oli Gent
Here comes Tonali...a stuttering run-up... and he scores!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (1-1)
12:37 , Oli Gent
Popovic against Dubravka... and he rolls in the leveller.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney (1-0)
12:37 , Oli Gent
Williams-Barnett takes the first spot-kick... and scores with the panenka!
FT: Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:33 , Oli Gent
90 mins: There’s the final whistle, and we end level, but hold up, we’ve got penalties to come!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:31 , Oli Gent
88 mins: Two minutes of regulation time to go. Can Spurs find a winner?
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:27 , Oli Gent
85 mins: Better from Spurs as Robertson gets forward on the underlap, but drags the cross-shot wide, via a fingertip from Hoefsloot.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:22 , Oli Gent
82 mins: A mix-up at the back as Spurs converge on them with their high press, but it doesn’t quite fall for Donley in the box!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:21 , Oli Gent
80 mins: Hardy and Kyerematen are off for Tingey and Byrne.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:17 , Oli Gent
77 mins: Two more changes for the hosts as France and Lancaster are on for Kamijo and Quintal.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:15 , Oli Gent
75 mins: Another Robertson delivery, another Yang chance! The winger nods over unmarked!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:15 , Oli Gent
73 mins: An injury concern for Solomon and Spurs, who has ice on his left thigh as he sits on the bench...
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:12 , Oli Gent
71 mins: What a miss! Robertson flies down the left and whips a delicious ball into Yang at the far post.. but he can’t convert from close range!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:10 , Oli Gent
69 mins: Good save! A sight of goal for Tonali, who tests Hoefsloot from range. The effort is straight at the hosts’ goalkeeper, who spills it behind for the corner, which the Italian is over.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:08 , Oli Gent
68 mins: Robertson is on for his Spurs debut, replacing Hall, Donley is on for Gray, Melia replaces Gallagher, Scarlett comes on for Richarlison, and Yang is on for Solomon.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:07 , Oli Gent
67 mins: Three changes for the hosts. Toure replaces De Jesus, Popovic is on for Macallister and Lacey is in for Sekine.
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:06 , Oli Gent
65 mins: That’s a nice ball in behind in towards Kyerematen who hares in behind. He looks for Richarlison in the middle, but maybe he should have gone for goal!
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:04 , Oli Gent
63 mins: The tempo has been a lot slower from Spurs since the goal. How can turn this up a couple of notches?
Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
12:02 , Oli Gent
60 mins: Past the hour mark now and Spurs are level, and look a little shaken.
De Zerbi has turned to his bench. Who’s coming on?
Sam Tabuteau reports
12:00 , Oli Gent
58 mins: Sydney are level after Takai's interception inadvertently falls to Sekine. That is unfortunate for Takai, who had done the righ thing in spotting the danger and stretching a leg to try and cut out the through ball.
Goal! Tottenham 1-1 Sydney
11:57 , Oli Gent
56 mins: It’s there, and Spurs are pegged back! Takai goes for the interception, but Sekine latches onto the loose ball, and clips over Dubravka!
Sam Tabuteau reports
11:56 , Oli Gent
55 mins: Two things to note from the start of the second half. Luca Williams-Barnett has been incredibly bright and continues to underline his potential. But it is also notable how important Gallagher is to the high press. It is not only his ability to win the ball but also to move it on quickly to get Spurs playing forward.
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:54 , Oli Gent
52 mins: Gallagher is alive in the press for Spurs, winning the ball high up the field on the right. He looks to get a cross in for Williams-Barnett, but it’s well cleared.
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:51 , Oli Gent
49 mins: Three changes for Spurs at the break. Tonali, Takai and Willams-Barnett are on for Tel, Davies and Bergvall.
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:50 , Oli Gent
47 mins: Close! Williams-Barnett, who has just come on for Tel, darts into the box and lets fly, but he cracks the crossbar!
Kick off!
11:48 , Oli Gent
46 mins: Back underway.
Sam Tabuteau reports
11:33 , Oli Gent
Tottenham have the goal to show for their dominance but Sydney have grown into the game and came close right before half-time. De Zerbi will want his side to continue to press high but ultimately take their chances. They have been wasteful.
HT: Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:31 , Oli Gent
There we have it at the interval. Tel’s superb free kick is the difference at the break.
What will the second half have in store?
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:28 , Oli Gent
44 mins: Another scare for Spurs, who don’t deal well with the ball clipped over the top. Macalliser hares in behind Hardy to latch onto it, and he tries to prod it goalwards as Dubravka comes to meet him, but Davies sweeps up behind his goalkeeper.
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:25 , Oli Gent
42 mins: A loose pass from Kyerematen inside is seized upon by Macallister, who goes for an outrageous effort from range with Dubravka off his line. The keeper is worried as he backpedals, but the strike is wide of the target.
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:23 , Oli Gent
40 mins: Good play from Tel once more down the left, holding it up before feeding Kyerematen in the box. The left-back receives it on his right and looks to catch the keeper out at the near post, but he scuffs it in the end.
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:22 , Oli Gent
38 mins: Free kick, Spurs. Popovic is booked for a late sliding challenge on Richarlison in the centre circle.
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:21 , Oli Gent
37 mins: Off the post! That’s a third chance for Gallagher now, as it’s worked infield to Spurs’ No10 for the morning. He looks to bend one inside the near post, but it cannons off the woodwork.
Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:20 , Oli Gent
34 mins: A slip from Hoefsloot means that his clearance lands at Gallagher’s feet, and the midfielder goes for goal with the goalkeeper out of position, but his effort is cleared by Popovic.
Sam Tabuteau reports
11:16 , Oli Gent
31 mins: What a hit. Mathys Tel is having a really productive pre-season and he marks his performance here with a wonderful right footed free kick. He has been Spurs' brightest player so far.
Goal! Tottenham 1-0 Sydney
11:15 , Oli Gent
29 mins: What a hit that is from Tel, who sends a dipping effort into the top corner! If there was going to be a Spurs player to produce a moment of magic, it would have been him.
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
11:14 , Oli Gent
28 mins: Free kick, Spurs. Solomon is chopped down on the edge of the box. Chance here to hit one..
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
11:10 , Oli Gent
25 mins: Good save! Dubravka called into action for the first time as Youlley tests the Spurs keeper with a pot-shot, that the Slovakian is equal to. A scare for the tourists!
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
11:09 , Oli Gent
24 mins: Tel gets on the ball once more and everytime he receives it you feel like something could happen. He goes on the outside this time and looks to tease a cross in, but he gets it all wrong.
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
11:07 , Oli Gent
22 mins: A first real maraud forward for Sydney as Kamijo looks for a clipped ball over the top, but De Jesus can’t reach that as it dribbles out of play.
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
11:04 , Oli Gent
20 mins: Ledley King is in the stands, sat on his own as he watches on. What will he make of this experimental and youthful Spurs defence?
Sam Tabuteau reports
11:01 , Oli Gent
17 mins: Tottenham's high press has been working really well so far as evidenced by the fact they have made 16 final third entries in the first 15 minutes. Now, though, they need to make their dominance count, with Tel and Gallagher both guilty of wasting chances.
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
10:59 , Oli Gent
14 mins: Close! A better chance for Spurs as Gallagher is the next to have a shot at goal. Good play from Solomon as he gets to the byline and cuts it back, and the former Chelsea midfielder has to bury that, but doesn’t!
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
10:57 , Oli Gent
13 mins: Free kick, Spurs. Good play from Gallagher as he makes the dart into the channel, befor ehe gets felled by Youlley. Tel swings in the set piece, but Hoefsloot claims.
Sam Tabuteau reports
10:55 , Oli Gent
11 mins: Tottenham's high press nearly comes into fruition as Gallagher makes a charge for the ball. Tel had earlier spurned a good opportunity after Spurs forced Sydney into giving up possession. That is an area of the game that De Zerbi will be keen to develop this season.
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
10:54 , Oli Gent
10 mins: Tel whips in another corner, an inswinger this time, and Davies tussles with Grant and goes down in the box. Cue protests from the Spurs players, but nothing doing, says the referee.
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
10:53 , Oli Gent
9 mins: Impressive defensive work from Spurs high up the pitch so far. There has been plenty of energy out of possession from De Zerbi’s side. Can they keep this up and force an opener?
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
10:51 , Oli Gent
6 mins: Close! A first sighting of goal for Spurs as the high press, led by Richarlison, forces a mistake from the Sydney goalkeeper. It comes for Tel, who strikes with his instep, but it’s beaten away by Hoefsloot.
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
10:49 , Oli Gent
5 mins: Corner, Spurs. Good interplay down the left between Kyerematen and Tel, before the full-back gets his cross in and it’s forced behind. The corner from Tel is cleared easily, but Spurs come again.
Tottenham 0-0 Sydney
10:48 , Oli Gent
3 mins: It will be interesting to see how both Spurs’ young full-backs fare this morning.
Tye Hall and Rio Kyerematen have been given a chance to impress by De Zerbi. How will they do?
Kick off!
10:45 , Oli Gent
1 min: We’re underway.
Five minute warning
10:40 , Oli Gent
The players are out, and we’re about to get underway.
Ten minutes to kick off
10:35 , Oli Gent
Who will win this one?
Why is Fernandes not playing for Spurs?
10:32 , Oli Gent
Mateus Fernandes has been left out of Tottenham’s squad for their pre-season friendly against Sydney FC on Wednesday.
The Portuguese midfielder, who has played in each of Spurs’ first two pre-season games following his £85million move from West Ham, was seen in a recent video standing on the sidelines as the rest of the squad trained in Australia, raising concerns that he had suffered an injury.
Those fears, though, have reportedly been allayed with head coach Roberto De Zerbi carefully managing the minutes of several first-team players during a busy summer tour.
Destiny Udogie, James Maddison and Jan Paul van Hecke have all also been left out of Spurs’ squad for Wednesday’s game against A-League opposition at Allianz Stadium.
De Zerbi issues youngsters challenge
10:25 , Oli Gent
“Archie is young, but he's an old player, as a mentality, as a performance, as an experience, as a career,” the Spurs boss said of today’s captain.
“But the young players have to push, because with me as a coach, they have the chance to play. Logically, they have to show me they are ready, they have qualities, they have a mentality to play in this club.
“But when I decide the players, when I decide the squad, I never see the age of the players.”
De Zerbi explains Maddison absence
10:19 , Oli Gent
De Zerbi named a youthful starting lineup against Auckland featuring eight academy graduates and Archie Gray wore the captain’s armband.
But there was no room for James Maddison, who continues his return from an ACL injury.
“He's not working the last five days, I think, like Udogie, but they have not a big problem, just to stay focused, don't take any risks and then for the next game, the next friendly game against Sydney.
“Maybe we play with Tonali, with other players, maybe, we've got to see.”
Around the ground
10:16 , Oli Gent
The stage is set in Sydney!
Ready to go in Sydney. 👊
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 29, 2026
No Fernandes!
10:05 , Oli Gent
A bit of a surprise, as we expected the Portuguese to be on the bench here, but he is not involved at all in the matchday squad.
It’s believed to just be a precautionary measure from De Zerbi to manage the summer signing’s load after a long flight and two starts against Milton Keynes and Auckland.
Sydney FC lineup
10:00 , Oli Gent
Here’s how the hosts lineup this morning...
𝑺𝒌𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝑿𝑰 📋
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) July 29, 2026
🇯🇵 Takahiro Sekine moves into the XI for his first start in Sky Blue
✖️ Akol Akon misses out with a slight knock
🎓 A total of 16 Academy Graduates feature in the matchday squad#WeAreSydney | #TOTvSYD pic.twitter.com/jUXn28lTeQ
Tottenham lineup
09:52 , Oli Gent
Tottenham XI: Dubravka; Kyerematen, Davies, Hardy, Hall; Gray, Bergvall; Solomon, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison
Subs: Kinsky, Robertson, Takai, Tingey, Byrne, Tyrese Hall, Russell-Denny, Donley, Tonali, Ajayi, Yang, Williams-Barnett, Scarlett
Spurs predicted XI
09:42 , Oli Gent
Who will start for Spurs this morning?
Sam Tabuteau had a stab at predicting the lineup...
Fernandes not expected to start
09:37 , Oli Gent
Reports claim that Mateus Fernandes will not start this morning, but not down to any kind of injury concern.
The Portuguese’s fitness is only being managed, and as such, he is expected to be on the bench.
Maddison on De Zerbi
09:33 , Oli Gent
James Maddison was speaking pre-match about working under the Spurs boss, and the demands upon the players.
"The manager is very clear,” he said.
“The goals are to be better, to play better football, to be passionate and to be proud to play for this club.
"If we listen to his style, principles, if we keep the short-term targets of trying to be better and trying to implement the way he'll play, the long-term targets will be better in the long run.
"We're still learning the way he plays. As a player he's a coach you want to play for because he loves everything with the ball. He's very attacking, and I'm really excited."
Back at home...
09:27 , Oli Gent
Pedro Porro will not feature today as the Spain right-back has a three-week break after winning the World Cup with Spain.
Safe to say he’s enjoying the celebrations...
No me despierten…🥹😭❤️ @SEFutbol pic.twitter.com/gjgJNtb5pB
— Pedro Porro (@pedroporro29_) July 29, 2026
Will Van Hecke and Robertson play today?
09:20 , Oli Gent
Neither Jan Paul van Hecke nor Andy Robertson were involved in Tottenham’s pre-season defeat of Auckland FC in the small hours of Sunday morning, extending the wait for either man to make his debut for the club.
Left-back Robertson, previously of Liverpool, signed as a free agent before Scotland’s World Cup campaign got underway, while the deal to pry Van Hecke away from Brighton was confirmed during the tournament.
It has been a big-spending summer for Tottenham, who have invested over £200m in total, bringing in the likes of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to overhaul the midfield.
Van de Ven fires shot at Frank play style
09:15 , Oli Gent
Micky van de Ven appeared to have aimed a dig at former Tottenham boss Thomas Frank about the Dane’s style of play in the lead up to this match.
The former Brentford manager was sacked by Spurs after just eight months in charge, overseeing just two wins in 17 Premier League matches.
He was replaced by Igor Tudor, who was quickly dismissed himself before Roberto De Zerbi took over the reins and steered the club - just about - away from a shock relegation and to safety.
Now, as the north London club prepare for their first full campaign under the Italian, Van de Ven seems to have fired a shot at his former head coach as Spurs continue on their pre-season tour in Australia and New Zealand.
Who impressed De Zerbi last time out?
09:09 , Oli Gent
Tottenham got their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia under way with a 2-0 win over Auckland FC on Sunday.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side followed up last week’s 1-0 behind-closed-doors victory against MK Dons with another comfortable victory at Eden Park.
In front of a record crowd, an understrength Spurs side made light work of their A-League opponents, with Dane Scarlett opening the scoring in the 12th minute before Richarlison wrapped things up just past the hour mark.
After an energy-sapping journey Down Under, De Zerbi was keen to rest many of his big-name players, and gave starts to a number of academy talents including Luca Williams-Barnett and Tye Hall.
Which kit will Spurs play in?
09:01 , Oli Gent
Tottenham will play in their new away kit for the first time this season.
Nike have created a navy strip with multi-coloured stripes running diagonally across the strip.
A first outing for our 2026/27 away kit 😍
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 29, 2026
Spurs handed major transfer boost
08:48 , Oli Gent
Ahead of this clash, Tottenham have been handed a big boost in their pursuit of Manchester City’s Savinho, who is believed to be a top target.
Spurs have spent heavily in this window already with the arrivals of Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke, and they could well open their chequebook once more as the De Zerbi revolution continues.
Head to head
08:44 , Oli Gent
Sydney wins: 0
Spurs wins: 1
Draws: 0
Standard Sport prediction
08:37 , Oli Gent
After a promising display in New Zealand, and potentially with some returning stars, you would imagine Spurs should win this pretty comfortably.
Whether De Zerbi will experiment with shape, partnerships or positions remains to be seen, however, and that could alter the game’s rhythm a tad.
Tottenham to win, 2-0.
Sydney FC team news
08:32 , Oli Gent
As for Sydney, striker Victor Campuzano and defender Marcel Tisserand are their standout names. They should both get some minutes here.
Tottenham team news
08:27 , Oli Gent
For Spurs, Fernandes was the only summer signing that featured against Auckland, and he is likely to be in contention once more here despite fears over a potential knock.
Sandro Tonali was ruled out with a minor injury, while fellow new recruits Robertson and Van Hecke were deemed “not ready to play yet” by De Zerbi.
Senesi has been given a longer break after he was part of the Argentina squad that reached the World Cup final.
Other World Cup absentees are Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro and Djed Spence.
James Maddison continues his comeback from an ACL injury having not played in Auckland due to a slight fitness concern, but Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert remain at Hotspur Way to focus on their longer-term injury rehab.
How to watch
08:20 , Oli Gent
Live stream: The only place to watch this match is on Spurs’ official streaming site, SpursPlay, with an annual subscripton costing £45.
Hello and welcome
08:14 , Oli Gent
... to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Tottenham’s next pre-season friendly against Sydney FC.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side are looking for a third straight victory of this warm-up period, after wins over Milton Keynes and Auckland.
Stay tuned for all the updates, with kick off at 10.45am BST.
