Super-sub Richarlison the hat-trick hero as Tottenham Hotspur beat ...

SINGAPORE – If Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou needed an audition for a new chief striker, he got one at Kallang on Wednesday night.

Brazilian forward Richarlison, who had a sub-par debut season with the London club in 2022-23, shone with a hat-trick as his side beat the Lion City Sailors 5-1 at the National Stadium.

The 26-year-old, who came on for Harry Kane at half-time, had scored only once in 27 appearances in the last English Premier League (EPL) season, but found his scoring boots in front of 25,095 fans. His first two goals came within five minutes as Spurs got off to a blistering start in the second half.

Shawal Anuar had opened the scoring in the 14th minute before Kane equalised with a penalty two minutes into first-half stoppage time. Substitute Giovani Lo Celso made it 4-1 in the 73rd minute and Richarlison completed his hat-trick a minute into added time.

Richarlison, who took home the match ball, told The Straits Times he was happy to have bagged his first treble for Spurs, adding: “It’s important to start well (in pre-season) and now it’s about following it up in the league.”

Postecoglou heaped praise on the Brazilian at the press conference, saying: “I really like the fact he’s got all kinds of attributes, certainly what I look for in a striker. He has a really strong work ethic and he’s always in the right areas.”

While Kane’s future is up in the air, the Australian, 57, was pleased to have both strikers at his disposal.

He added: “Him and Harry have different strengths, Harry has a good presence in the penalty box and Richarlison does too, but in a different way.

“With Richarlison, a lot of what he does you don’t see often, when he doesn’t get the ball, he’s always a constant nuisance.”

Spurs dominated possession in the first half, forcing their opponents all the way back into their own half. But it was the Sailors who stunned the crowd first.

Rui Pires picked up a loose ball in midfield before feeding Maxime Lestienne on the right. With a touch onto his left foot, the Belgian winger delivered a sumptuous cross right into the feet of Shawal, who timed his run from behind well to toe-poke the ball over Guglielmo Vicario’s outstretched arm and into the back of the net.

Spurs had plenty of chances to restore parity, but wasted them. Most of their shots went wide, while several efforts were thwarted by an alert Sailors goalkeeper Zharfan Rohaizad, who repelled three efforts by James Maddison.

Spurs were not to be denied at the end of the first half though, as Pires conceded a penalty after leaving a stray foot in on Pape Matar Sarr in the penalty area. Kane sent Zharfan the wrong way to ensure Spurs went into the break level.

They re-emerged from the dressing room firing on all cylinders. In the 48th minute, Lo Celso made a bulldozing run into the box before seeing his effort blocked by Hariss Harun. Richarlison was on hand to slot home the rebound.

Four minutes later, a long throw from Ivan Perisic bounced in the danger zone and Pedro Henrique failed to clear his lines, with the ball falling for Richarlison to head into the back of the net.

Lo Celso then turned scorer after Manor Solomon’s cross was diverted into the Argentinian’s path by Rusyaidi Salime. Richarlison added gloss to the scoreline when he shrugged off a defender’s challenge before slipping the ball past substitute goalkeeper Adib Azahari.

Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic felt his side had benefited greatly from this game, heading into the Asian Champions League in September. He added: “We gained a lot of experience, the way we play in terms of speed, physical power, and tactical awareness.”

While there was a sizeable crowd in attendance, it was still way short of the 46,266 fans when Spurs faced West Ham United in Perth.

Spurs fan Doug Irvine, 49, attributed that to the quality of the opposition, even though it was “good to see a Singapore Premier League team getting a chance to play like this”.

He was also “disappointed” after not seeing a reduction in price despite the withdrawal of AS Roma on July 12.

Sailors fan Joseph Jireh, meanwhile, was pleased with his team’s first-half performance. He said: “Props to the guys, they played their hearts out, we stuck to the game plan and they were not afraid to fight.”

Spurs will be flying home to continue their preparation ahead of their EPL season opener against Brentford on Aug 13.

Kane, who declined to be interviewed at the mixed zone, was earlier seen in the stadium waving at fans, some of whom must have wondered if that could be one of the last times they see him in a Spurs shirt.

Additional reporting by Kimberly Kwek and Melvyn Teoh