A moment of brilliance from Pape Matar Sarr illuminated the North London derby friendly at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium, with Tottenham beating Arsenal 1-0 as both teams prepare for the start of the new Premier League season.
The 22-year-old Senegalese midfielder produced an extraordinary strike from inside Arsenal's half to put Tottenham ahead.
The goal originated when Sarr dispossessed Myles Lewis-Skelly shortly before the interval. Arsenal players appealed for a foul by Richarlison in the build-up, but the official allowed play to continue.
Spotting David Raya off his line, Sarr unleashed a powerful drive that sailed over the stranded Arsenal goalkeeper.
A moment of brilliance from Pape Matar Sarr illuminated the North London derby friendly at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium, with Tottenham beating Arsenal 1-0 as both teams prepare for the start of the new Premier League season
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The audacious effort from near the centre circle gave the Gunners keeper no opportunity to recover his position.
Former Arsenal and Tottenham striker Clive Allen praised the technical excellence of the strike.
"It's so difficult in terms of how he's driven the ball over the goalkeeper," Allen observed.
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SARR’s goal against Arsenal! 😳 pic.twitter.com/hVxEl92cd2
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"It's a drilled ball, not looped, not giving the goalkeeper a chance to backpeddle. It's fired over with great precision."
The spectacular effort validated the comparison to Roberto Carlos that followed Sarr during his youth career. The Brazilian left-back was renowned for his powerful long-range shooting, and Sarr demonstrated similar capability with this audacious attempt.
Sarr's ability to generate sufficient power whilst maintaining accuracy from near the halfway line showcased his remarkable shooting prowess while giving Spurs fans something to cheer about.
Social media erupted with reactions to the goal, with many supporters directing criticism at Raya's positioning.
One fan posted: "Fair enough Pape Sarr, fair enough. Not sure why Raya playing as a centre back though."
Another supporter expressed frustration: "This might be the year I call for a new keeper if Raya keeps this up."
A third added: "It beats me why David Raya is always up way above his line. A very silly thing he does always. Awful sight."
The goalkeeper's tendency to advance from his goal line drew further criticism.
"Raya should not be that far out in that situation. He's done this too much recently," another observed.
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Tottenham star Pape Matar Sarr celebrates his goal against Arsenal in Hong Kong
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The wonder goal highlighted Tottenham's impressive display in Hong Kong.
Spurs struck the woodwork on three occasions during the early stages of the match, demonstrating their attacking intent in the friendly encounter.
Two of these near-misses resulted directly from corner kicks, suggesting early progress under new manager Thomas Frank's tactical approach.