Juventus 2-3 Tottenham: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Harry Kane Nets Stunning Halfway Line Winner

21 July 2019 14:53

Tottenham saw off Juventus 3-2 after an entertaining game was decided in stoppage time as Harry Kane scored a stunning goal from the halfway line in Singapore - while Tanguy Ndombele made his Spurs debut following his club-record move.


Spurs were the better side throughout the opening half hour and deservedly took the lead after some fine work by 17-year-old Troy Parrott. The youngster did well to feed Son Heung-min, only to then overlap the Korean, receive the ball and fire an effort low at Buffon that was well saved - with Erik Lamela on hand to tap the rebound home.

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Mauricio Pochettino was left fuming just five minutes into the second half after substitute Lucas Moura was denied a stonewall penalty after being hacked down from behind, with the referee shockingly awarding a goal kick instead.


Instead, it was another substitute who made their mark, as Gonzalo Higuain played a neat one-two on the edge of the box and fired in the equaliser after 56 minutes. ​Cristiano Ronaldo then turned the game on its head as he fired in from close range after Mattia De Sciglio's cut-back.


​Spurs fans were then left purring as the club's record signing Ndombele made an immediate impact after coming on, feeding Moura to steer an effort into the top corner with his first touches of the ball. 

Then, magic. Utter, utter magic.


With penalties looming, Harry Kane saw Wojciech Szczesny off his line and fired a loose ball from just inside the Juventus half over the Polish goalkeeper to seal the win in the most outrageous of fashions. It was a goal worthy of winning any game.

Juventus


Key Talking Point


Bringing in Maurizio Sarri in place of Massimiliano Allegri signals a different approach going forward for the ​Old Lady. The new boss' famous 'Sarri-ball' style of play is set to make its mark on ​Serie A once again but it's clear it will take some time to implement on this Juventus side.

Maurizio Sarri

In a first half where their chances came via the individual work of Ronaldo, Juventus struggled to contend with Spurs' high press and were second best to Pochettino's young side. They were under the cosh at the start of the second half, fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty, but grew into the game as a far more open encounter saw goals fly in for both sides.


It will take time for Sarri to fully drill his philosophy into his new side, but their improvement in the second half will give him optimism as they bid to retain the Serie A title, Kane magic aside.

Player Ratings


Starting XI: Buffon (6); Cancelo (6), Rugani (6), Bonucci (6), De Sciglio (5); Can (5), Pjanic (6), Matuidi (5); Bernardeschi (6), Mandzukic (5), Ronaldo (7*).


Substitutes: Demiral (6), Higuain (7), Szczesny (7), Rabiot (6), De Ligt (7), Pereira (6), Kastanos (5), Muratore (5).

STAR MAN - It was anything but a vintage performance from Sarri's men, particularly in the first half, but Ronaldo still posed his usual threat with some bursting runs and fine trickery in the final third, despite struggling against Kyle Walker-Peters on occasion.

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He came closest to scoring in the first half, but got the goal his performance deserved as his side turned the game on its head with two quick fire strikes before being subbed. The Portuguese looks set for another record-breaking campaign next term.

Tottenham


Key Talking Point

Mauricio Pochettino would have been very keen to see whether his side could recover from their Champions League final heartbreak in their first pre-season fixture. Fielding a number of youngsters, they looked assured and confident - pressing the Italian champions high up the pitch and winning the ball back with aggression.

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What was abundantly clear was that this is a side that knows exactly what their manager demands, and will do their upmost to relay those messages on the pitch.

The series of Spurs youngsters on show stood up to the task valiantly, undeterred by the opposition, and gave Pochettino plenty to mull over ahead of the coming campaign. The goals began flying in during the second half as tired legs made for a more open affair, but Pochettino will have been pleased with his side's overall showing given the calibre of team his side faced.

Player Ratings


Starting XI: Gazzaniga (7); Georgiou (6), Tanganga (7), Alderweireld (7), Walker-Peters (8*); Skipp (7), Winks (7), Alli (6), Lamela (8), Son (7); Parrott (8).


Substitutes: Kane (8), Vertonghen (6), Foyth (6), Sissoko (7), Moura (7), Ndombele (8), Roles (7), White (6), Marsh (6).

STAR MAN - Following Kieran Trippier's departure to Atletico Madrid, the right back slot at Tottenham is very much up for grabs. That said, if Walker-Peters' performance was anything to go by, that debate can already be put to bed.

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Bombing up and down the right flank with pace and determination, he gave Mattia De Sciglio countless problems with his forward runs, constantly getting into advanced positions at any given opportunity. Furthermore, tasked with keeping Ronaldo quiet, he did so admirably, completing an excellent all-round showing from the 22-year-old.

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Looking Ahead


Sarri's side jet off to China next as they take on fellow Italian side ​Inter in the International Champions Cup on Wednesday.

Spurs continue their pre-season tour by also heading off to China, this time to take on ​Manchester United in their all-​Premier League ICC clash in Shanghai.

Source: 90min