Spurs international round-up: Uneventful day for Tottenham pair
It was a disappointing second round of international fixtures for both Archie Gray and particularly Pape Matar Sarr on Monday. Gray, despite impressing from a wing-back role in the draw against Northern Ireland on Friday night, was on the bench for the recently arranged friendly against Austria at Kenilworth Road. The teenager came on for a nondescript 18-minute cameo once the game was already dead, though England did add a fourth to make it a 4-1 victory in his time on the pitch.
It was an even more frustrating day for Sarr, to round off a disappointing September international break for the Tottenham midfielder. After a below-par performance in the infuriating 1-1 draw at home to Burkina Faso on Friday, Sarr was reduced to a one-minute cameo as a time-wasting sub on Monday away to Burundi.
Not much game time for Archie Gray or Pape Matar Sarr
This will be very frustrating for Sarr, who will have wanted to put his own performance from Friday right, as well as help his team put the result right with a win. Luckily, the one positive for the Spurs number 29 is that his teammates managed to do that bit for him, with a second-half penalty from Ismaila Sarr enough to secure a hugely important three points.
This win puts Senegal top of their AFCON qualifying group, as the 2021 winners go one point above their Burundi counterparts with four points. That said, Burkina Faso, who of course also have one point, do have a game in hand against Malawi.
Still, on a positive note, Sarr couldn’t pick up any injuries in the game and is now fresh for the huge North London Derby that takes place on Monday. Today’s games have shown that the international break can be sucker-punching when it comes to injuries, as a certain team have brutally found out for themselves.
