Tottenham forward Mathys Tel squandered a golden one-on-one opportunity during Spurs’ preseason clash with Newcastle on Sunday.
Thomas Frank’s side were held to a 1-1 draw in the final game of their Far East tour – a match that may poetically mark Son Heung-Min’s farewell appearance for the club, following his announced departure on Saturday in his homeland of South Korea.
Brennan Johnson scored Spurs’ only goal of the game, opening the scoring within seven minutes, before Harvey Barnes pulled one back for Newcastle late in the first half.
Before that, Tel had a huge chance to double Spurs’ lead after being played in behind by Pedro Porro.
The French forward collected the ball near the halfway line and charged unopposed toward the Newcastle box.
As he entered the penalty area, he attempted a stepover feint to wrong-foot Nick Pope – but the goalkeeper read it easily, and Tel’s tame finish was saved without fuss.
Tottenham’s Mathys Tel squandered a golden one-on-one opportunity against Newcastle
The French forward tried to feint Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope before taking his shot
Butt Tel meekly rolled his effort straight at Pope despite having ample time to pick a corner
Tottenham fans took to social media to lay into their striker, with many fearing that Tel’s miss may be a sign of struggles to come next season. One supporter wrote on X: ‘It is a preseason friendly but that was pretty dreadful!’
A second commented: ‘Should have chipped it or gone around the keeper. Terrible decision making.’
A third asked: ‘How does he not finish that? Gives you little confidence he’s going to get any numbers again.’
Another said: ‘That’s why he is nowhere close to the required Premier League level. Million miles away from a top player.’
With their draw against Newcastle, Spurs extended their unbeaten preseason run, having recently beaten rivals Arsenal 1-0. Their other games yielded two draws – against Luton and Wycombe – and a win against Reading.
Frank’s men face Bayern Munich in a preseason friendly at the Allianz Arena next Thursday, before squaring off against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup final on August 13.
Their Premier League season then begins at home to Burnley just three days later.
