halfway

BOURNEMOUTH goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic was lobbed from near the HALFWAY LINE in Serbia’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Andorra.

The former Chelsea star was caught cold by Andorra forward Guillaume Lopez from inside the CCentre D.

2

2

Serbia midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic’s wayward loose pass was eagerly intercepted by Lopez from 35 yards inside 17 minutes.

Lopez then had the presence of mind to drill a shot over helpless Premier League stopper Petrovic, who was way out of his six-yard box.

Petrovic, 26, flippantly dived backwards, but was unable to stop the ball from hitting the back of the net.

But Serbia hit back instantly through Christian Garcia’s own-goal, before Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic gave them the lead in the 54th minute.

Both teams are in England‘s Group K, with Serbia sitting third outside the play-off spots and Andorra rock bottom.

Since leaving Stamford Bridge for the Vitality Stadium in July, Petrovic has started all seven games for Andoni Iraola‘s side.

Petrovic was left out of Chelsea’s Club World Cup squad in June before securing his £25m exit to the south-west.

He replaced fellow former Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga who joined Arsenal in a £5m deal this summer.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

He earned national hero status after saving a penalty in the World Cup qualifier against Albania – a match charged with a lot of tension, because of politics and history.

The Serb, who joined Chelsea from New England Revolution in a £14m deal in 2023, spent last season on loan at French club Strasbourg.

He was named player of the season as Strasbourg secured a Europa Conference League spot by finishing seventh in Ligue 1.

Tottenham beat North London rivals Arsenal 1-0 in a friendly in Hong Kong ahead of new Premier League season.

Pape Matar Sarr scored from the halfway line as Tottenham punished a shaky performance by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya to win the first North London derby staged outside the United Kingdom 1-0.

Raya, who had already been caught in no-man’s land twice as in-swinging corners hit the post, was at fault again in the 45th minute on Thursday when Sarr robbed Myles Lewis-Skelly just inside the Arsenal half.

The Spurs midfielder looked up, saw Raya stranded way outside his penalty area and let fly to score in outrageous fashion from 50 yards out.

Nominally a preseason “friendly”, there was no love lost on the pitch between the bitter rivals.

Tackles flew in and tempers frayed in a fiercely contested clash in front of a 49,975 sellout crowd under the roof in Hong Kong’s air-conditioned Kai Tak Stadium.

Arsenal started the stronger but it was Tottenham who hit the woodwork three times in a frantic first half and deserved their lead at the break.

Arsenal laid siege to the Tottenham goal at the start of the second half, but new manager Thomas Frank had his defence well-drilled and the Gunners found it hard to break through.

Gabriel Martinelli did manage to find an opening on 58 minutes but shot wastefully over the bar from 14 yards.

Arsenal brought on Leandro Trossard and new signing Martin Zubimendi, who almost scored with his first touch when his shot was deflected over the bar.

A huge cheer went up when Son Heung-min was introduced by Tottenham in the 75th minute.

It was followed by an even bigger ovation when new striker Viktor Gyokeres also came off the bench for his Arsenal debut with 13 minutes to go.

The Swedish striker, sporting the number 14 shirt made famous by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, was signed for $67m six days ago.

He made some darting runs as Arsenal pressed for a late equaliser, but will need time to get up to speed with his new club.

Tottenham now fly on to South Korea to face Newcastle United on Sunday, while Arsenal head home after three matches in Singapore and Hong Kong.

The Gunners finished second in the Premier League last season, for a third consecutive year, as Liverpool topped the table by 10 points.

Outrageous from Pape Sarr 😮‍💨

Don’t miss the action – watch the second half live on SPURSPLAY 📺

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 31, 2025