Senegal midfielder Pape Matar Sarr scored the only goal as Tottenham Hotspur defeated fierce Premier League rivals Arsenal 1-0 in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong on Thursday, Afrosport reports.
It was the first-ever North London derby to be played outside in the United Kingdom, and it was Spurs that had the edge after Sarr found the back of the net in the 45th minute with an audacious long-range shot from the middle of the pitch that caught goalkeeper David Raya off his line.
The 22-year-old scored six goals and provided three assists in 55 competitive games last season, the most noteworthy contribution being the assist for the only goal in the 1-0 win over Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao, which ended Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought.
Reacting to the goal, he said: “I used to score a goal like this when I was little. I scored a similar goal like this in the national team, and I think I need to keep scoring these kinds of goals.”
“The goal was amazing.”
Pape’s post-match thoughts in Hong Kong 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/XeIPiuyEug
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 31, 2025
Wednesday’s win sees the Lillywhites unbeaten in pre-season under new manager Thomas Frank and will next face Newcastle United and Bayern Munich before taking on Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on August 13 and newly-promoted Burnley in their Premier League opener three days later.
Meanwhile, it was a first pre-season defeat for Arsenal after victories over AC Milan and Newcastle. It was also the first appearance for Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres since completing his £63.5 million move from Sporting Lisbon.
Mikel Arteta’s side will take on Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao before their crunch Premier League opener away at Manchester United on August 17.
