SYDNEY -- A cool first half strike from Harry Kane led Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-0 friendly win over Sydney FC on Saturday night.
The match began with something of a false start after the first stoppage of play revealed that many of the backup balls on the touchlines were not inflated properly. However, once play got back underway, the impressive crowd of 71,549 fans were treated to an entertaining and open first-half at Stadium Australia.
Kane, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela all blazed reasonable chances over the bar within the opening 30 minutes, while Sydney's Alex Brosque wasted a golden opportunity with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris left stranded.
With both sides profligate in front of goal it looked to be heading into the break scoreless until a Sydney corner was met with a quick Spurs counter-attack.
A smart first-time ball from Eriksen allowed Lamela to drive at the defence before feeding Kane who had overlapped on the right. The Premier League's Young Player of the Year required just one touch before firing across Sydney keeper Ivan Necevski into the bottom corner to give Spurs a 1-0 lead at the break.
The second half became more of a stop-start affair, with multiple substitutions from both teams leading to some patchy play.
Sydney fans were given a chance to cheer in the 86th minute when the Sky Blues' longest serving player Necevski was substituted, giving the 35-year old shot-stopper one final chance to say goodbye after eight years of loyal service.
Then Sydney youngster George Blackwood had the chance to even the scores in injury time but his flicked header sailed just wide.
Sydney FC's next game sees them facing Premier League champions Chelsea in a friendly on Tuesday night.