Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season preparations suffered a minor setback on Wednesday after the Premier League side were held to a 1-1 draw by Sydney FC, despite a spectacular free-kick from Mathys Tel.

The French forward opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a superb set-piece, giving Spurs the advantage. However, the visitors were unable to build on their lead, and Sydney FC hit back shortly after the restart through new Japanese recruit Takahiro Sekine.

Following the final whistle, the teams settled the contest with a penalty shootout, which Tottenham won 4-2.

Tel was pleased with both his goal and his team’s effort, praising their commitment throughout the match.

“It was a good goal. I also want to congratulate the team because we worked and we fought to the end, even in a friendly game. We just keep going all the time,” he said.

“Sydney played very well on the ball; they also played very well off the ball, and it wasn’t that easy against them.”

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi rotated his squad heavily for the encounter, handing opportunities to several young players while resting a number of senior stars after Sunday’s 2-0 pre-season victory over Auckland FC in New Zealand.

The match followed a similar pattern to Tottenham’s previous pre-season outing, although several senior players returned to the starting line-up at Sydney Football Stadium. Archie Gray, Richarlison, Mathys Tel, Ben Davies, Manor Solomon and goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka were all included from the outset.

Sweden international Lucas Bergvall also featured amid continued speculation over his future, with reports linking the midfielder to both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

Several more experienced players were introduced after the break, including record signing Sandro Tonali, who made his first appearance of the tour after missing the win over Auckland FC with a minor injury. However, the Italian midfielder was unable to make a significant impact.

New arrival Andy Robertson was handed his unofficial debut, coming off the bench for the final 25 minutes and showing encouraging signs during his first outing in Spurs colours.

There was, however, no involvement for Mateus Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder, who joined from West Ham United last month, featured for the final half-hour against Auckland but was left out of the matchday squad, with British media reporting he may have picked up an injury.

James Maddison was another notable absentee, alongside Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, all of whom were unavailable for the friendly.

Captaining Tottenham for the second successive match, 20-year-old Archie Gray led from the front as Spurs controlled possession early on. Mathys Tel and Conor Gallagher both threatened during an impressive opening spell, with the visitors moving the ball sharply and creating several promising opportunities.

Their dominance was rewarded in spectacular fashion when Tel curled a superb free-kick into the top corner after Manor Solomon had been fouled just outside the penalty area.

Gallagher came close to doubling Tottenham’s advantage moments later, only to see his effort strike the post, leaving the visitors with a deserved 1-0 lead at half-time.

Sydney FC responded after the break despite Spurs continuing to dictate play. Substitute Luca Williams-Barnett rattled the crossbar before the Australian side equalised against the run of play in the 55th minute. A deflected pass from Kota Takai fell kindly for Takahiro Sekine, who made no mistake with a powerful finish.

Tottenham pushed hard for a winner, but Yang Min-Hyeok squandered two excellent chances. The winger first fired wide from close range after being picked out by Andy Robertson before later heading another opportunity off target.

Unable to find a late breakthrough, Spurs had to settle for a draw. They now turn their attention to Saturday’s pre-season clash against Chelsea in Sydney.

Chelsea, meanwhile, began new head coach Xabi Alonso’s tenure in style with an entertaining 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday.