Fernandes screamer enough for Spurs to beat MK Dons in pre-season
.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&quality=75&trim=0,0,0,150&crop= "Fernandes screamer enough for Spurs to beat MK Dons in pre-season - Milton Keynes Citizen")
Pre-season: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 MK Dons
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A spectacular volley from big-money signing Mateus Fernandes resigned MK Dons to defeat in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Portuguese rifled home a brilliant strike just three minutes in at Spurs’ training ground to beat Craig MacGillivray all ends up, the only goal of the game.
Both sides had chances though to add to the scoreboard, with Richarlison and Yan Min-Hyeok both missing sitters, while Ben Wiles and Brooklyn Kazungu can think themselves unlucky not to have drawn Dons level.
Coming up against a multi-million pound midfield in the form of Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and Connor Gallagher, Dons knew they would have their work cut-out for them, but it was a stroke of magic just three minutes in which put Spurs on their way.
Fernandes, who cost a reported £85 million from relegated West Ham, watched as the ball dropped from an early Craig MacGillivray punch clear onto his right foot on the edge of the box, allowing the Portuguese to rattle a volley off the post and into the net, one of his first touches for his new club.
From there, Spurs looked to put the game beyond Dons’ reach early on. Dom Solanke was a handful for the visitors’ back-line to have to cope with, but it was the midfield trio who were running the show and giving Warne’s side the run-around.
There were flashes of opportunity for Dons in the opening 45 minutes. Callum Paterson fired into Tony Kinsky’s chest from Dan Crowley’s pass but the Scot was ruled offside anyway, before he then tried an acrobatic effort when he looked to get on the end of Rushian Hepburn-Murphy’s cross which was just behind his reach.
While Spurs changed their entire side at the break, Dons drip-fed their substitutions throughout the second-half and it made for a patchy and stop-start game which lacked the same flow as the first, but both sides were able to create far more chances on goal.
Brazilian international Richarlison, who came on for Spurs at the break, thought he’d doubled the lead just six minutes after the restart when he lifted the ball over MacGillivray and into the net but he was denied by the offside flag.
Dons too saw one ruled out by the flag when Brooklyn Kazungu, who stood out in the 4-1 win over Maidenhead United a couple of weeks ago, bundled Liam Kelly’s corner home, only for the referee to blow up for a foul on keeper Martin Dubravka.
Spurs really should have seen off the game with 14 minutes to go when Richarlison first fired straight at MacGillivray before a stunning pass from Luca Williams-Barnett picked out Yan Min-Hyeok to round the keeper, but he inexplicably missed the empty net.
And they could have been made to pay just three minutes later when Ben Wiles flicked on Keon Lewis-Burgess’ cross, only to see a brilliant save from Dubravka deny him.
