Tottenham Hotspur have fallen to a 2-1 defeat to Juventus in their opening International Champions Cup fixture in Melbourne.
The Premier League side started poorly and soon found themselves two goals behind with Paulo Dybala finding the bottom corner from 12 yards and Medhi Benatia heading into the far corner from a Miralem Pjanic cross.
Spurs improved after the break and halved the deficit through Erik Lamela but Juventus held on to seal victory at the MCG.
Read below to see how the action unfolded in Melbourne.
10.01amHello, and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the International Champions Cup fixture between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur.
10.04amAs we move ever closer to the start of the 2016-17 campaign, the International Champions Cup competition is beginning to get into full flow with games taking place all over the world. This morning, however, we will solely be focusing on events in Melbourne as Juventus and Spurs lock horns at the MCG.
10.07amThis is the current scene at the MCG. There will hopefully be a few more fans in attendance the closer we get to kickoff...
Perfect seats to enjoy @SpursOfficial at work tonight! #ICC2016 pic.twitter.com/KKkK5fZzX7
— Matthew Stone (@stone1_matthew) July 26, 2016
10.09amWithout further ado, let's take a look at the two sides. Strong starting lineups were promised and that is what we have got...
10.11amTOTTENHAM HOTSPUR XI: Vorm; Trippier, Ball, Carter-Vickers, Miller; Mason, Wanyama; Son, Carroll, Chadli; Janssen
10.12amJUVENTUS XI: Neto; Lirola, Benatia, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Lemina, Hernanes, Asamoah; Pjanic, Pereyra; Dybala
10.15amAs expected, head coach Mauricio Pochettino hands a first start in a Spurs start to Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen, both of whom have moved to White Hart Lane since the start of the transfer window. There is a youthful look to the backline with representatives of both England and Belgium still enjoying their summer break after Euro 2016 but there is plenty of experience further forward.
10.21amAs for Juve, they have included all of their first-team players from the start, with Mehdi Benatia and Miralem Pjanic both being given their debuts by Massimiliano Allegri. There are also starts for the likes of Roberto Pereyra and Alex Sandro while Daniele Rugani gets the chance to impress in defence with Juve's familiar back three still recuperating after Euro 2016.
10.22amJUVENTUS SUBSTITUTES: Audero, Del Favero, Loria, Marrone, Blanco Moreno, Parodi, Severin, Coccolo, Macek, Kastanos, Vitale, Rosseti, Cerri, Padovan
10.23amTOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBSTITUTES: McGee (GK), Glover (GK), Walker-Peters, Yedlin, Amos, Edwards, Lamela, Onomah, Walkes, Winks, Harrison
10.28amMany of Spurs' young prospects should get an opportunity in the second half and the same can be said of Juventus. One man who will be hoping to get onto the pitch in the second half is Carlos Blanco Moreno, who lit up the MCG with a stunning 60-yard strike against Melbourne Victory just 13 minutes after coming off the bench. You can read all about that goal, and Juve's penalty-shootout defeat, by clicking here.
10.33amSpurs supporters will be casting an eye over each of their players in this game but they will be paying more attention to the performances of Wanyama and Janssen. At times last season, they missed a combative midfielder to work alongside Eric Dier, while Harry Kane was forced to carry most of the workload in attack due to the lack of depth in the striking department. Neither area should be an issue for Spurs now, providing that both players can hit the ground running.
10.38amFans of the Premier League will know all about Wanyama. He likes a red card but he loves tackling even more and the combination of Dier and the Kenyan international could be a formidable one throughout next season. As for Janssen, he is a bit of an unknown quantity. He excelled in his one and only season in the Eredivisie but trying to replicate that form in England will be inevitably tougher. That said, he has already made an impression on the international stage with the Netherlands, scoring three goals in his first five games, and as long as he is given time to settle in North London, he could act as a very handy second choice to Kane throughout what could potentially be a long season.
10.45amLike Spurs, Juventus have signed players this summer that will only strengthen their first team. After another Serie A title triumph, it could have been easy for Massimiliano Allegri to stick with the same squad but the signings that he has made will only help Juventus in their quest for the Champions League, which has become top priority in Turin. Benatia may have to play second fiddle to the likes of Chiellini, Barzagli and Bonucci - providing that Bonucci isn't sold - but Pjanic is a real coup for Allegri after five excellent years at Roma. Pogba may still leave for Manchester United but with Gonzalo Higuain's arrival imminent, Juventus are handily placed to finally get their hands back on European football's premier trophy.
10.49amPREDICTION! With the substitution that will inevitably take place later in the game, it is difficult to make a solid prediction but given their extra game time in Australia, we have to go with Juventus, who we are backing to come through by a 2-1 scoreline. However, don't be surprised if we end up heading to penalties.
10.54amKickoff is scheduled for 11am but I don't think we are going to make that. The game on Saturday began around seven minutes late and it looks like that will be the case today.
10.59amThis will be Mauricio Pochettino's first game since he reportedly rejected the chance to coach Argentina. The decision did not come as a huge surprise but there may be doubts creep into his mind if Spurs endure a bad pre-season. Today's result is not the be all and end all but he may want the reassurance that he has made the correct choice.
11.02amWe finally have some players emerging from the changing rooms. Looks like Spurs will be wearing their new third kit.
1 minWe are finally underway in Melbourne.
3 minThere is plenty of support for Spurs. I'm not sure if they are from North London or Australia but it is good to hear nonetheless. It has been a quiet opening two minutes.
5 minIt is still early days but Juventus look a tad sharper than Spurs. They are buzzing around the ball when they lose possession and when they do have hold of it, they are troubling the Premier League side's youthful backline.
6 minGOAL! Juventus 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Dybala)
6 minAs I was saying...
Mason loses the ball in midfield and although Ball appears to rescue the situation, he fails to control the ball and Juventus take full advantage. Pereyra played in Dybala and with plenty of time and space, he lashed the ball into the bottom corner from 12 yards.
10 minThere isn't a lot of movement from Pochettino but he needs to be on the touchline trying to calm his players down. Juventus are simply overpowering them and they have no answer right now. This could be a long 90 minutes...
13 minPochettino has instructed Vorm to play the ball short to his defenders but it is only putting them under unnecessary pressure. Spurs are yet to see the ball at the other end of the pitch.
14 minGOAL! Juventus 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Benatia)
17 minSpurs are an absolute shambles at the back. Moments after Vorm is forced to pull off an excellent save to stop Dybala finding the top corner, they can't clear the resulting set piece and Pjanic's delivery finds Benatia, who heads into the far corner. Spurs are complaining about a foul but there is nothing in it. This could get ugly.
20 minGiven his first-choice backline are still on their summer break, Pochettino's hands were effectively tied when choosing his defence for this game but the confidence in his young defenders is evaporating and fast. They need to get to the break without conceding a third.
23 minWe are yet to see anything of Janssen although that isn't really his fault. He is doing a lot of chasing so at least his fitness will be improving. I'm scraping the barrel for positives already.
27 minThe pace at the MCG has slowed down considerably. It can't be put down to the heat either because it's a chilly night in Melbourne. Spurs need to take their time in possession but they haven't come close to providing an end product for Janssen.
29 minCarroll gets a look in down the left and his cross is on its way to finding Janssen but Benatia gets across to head the ball away. Nothing comes from the corner but that's as good as it has got for the North Londoners.
33 minWe have not seen much of Miller is an attacking position for Spurs but the left-back shows some ambition to get into the penalty area on this occasion. Unfortunately, he gets crowded out by two defenders and then appears to throw himself to the floor in search of a penalty. It was a bit blatant.
37 minSpurs deserve a tiny bit of credit for steadying the ship here. They are doing nothing going forward but they have at least prevented the scoreline from getting worse. That could also be down to Juventus sitting deeper and making less effort to force the play.
39 minFor what I think is the first time in the match, Tripper gets into an attacking position on the right flank but his cross is over-hit. It's poor from a player who needs to impress in the absence of Walker.
42 minWe have just three minutes to go until the break. I'd expecting mass changes at half time for Juventus but Pochettino may feel the need to give his players another 15 minutes.
45 minThere will be one minute of added-on time.
45+1 minHALF TIME: Juventus 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
11.54amThe half-time whistle goes in Melbourne and Juventus are in full control of this contest. They may be slightly disappointed having failed to build on their rapid start but they have dominated in the MCG. Spurs look under-cooked and with less than three weeks to go until the start of the season, that will be a concern for Pochettino.
12.07pmAccording to the half-time statistics, Spurs had 54% of the ball in the opening 45 minutes. Given that they barely touched it in the first 15 minutes, that's quite an achievement. They've done nothing with it, however.
12.09pmPochettino has decided to make a number of alterations. Lamela, Yedlin, Winks and Onomah have all been introduced.
Juventus have taken off Benatia and Pereyra.
46 minWe are back underway in Melbourne.
48 minSpurs have started the second half with much more intent but so far, Juventus are withstanding everything that is being thrown at them. The link-up between Lamela and Janssen already looks promising.
51 minLemina only played a bit-part for Juventus last season but he has looked lively in this game. He will probably struggle to get a look-in when the season starts but he is doing his chances no harm whatsoever.
53 minCHANCE! It should be 3-0 to Juventus. An outstanding through ball from Hernanes finds the run of Pjanic but after getting clear of the defence, he sent his half-volley over the crossbar.
56 minSHOT! Finally, Spurs get a significant shot on goal. Unfortunately, Lamela's low drive is always going wide of the far post but only by a yard.
60 minWe are through the hour mark in Melbourne and this has been a much-improved showing from Spurs at the start of this second half. The likes of Winks and Onomah are recognising that they have an opening to impress Pochettino and so far, they are showing signs of promise.
63 minSUBSTITUTIONS! It is time for more Spurs substitutions, with Walkes, Edwards and Harrison all being given their chance. This is a big moment for the Academy trio.
66 minSUBSTITUTIONS! Pjanic makes way for Juventus, with Parodi coming on in his place. Vitale has also replaced Asamoah.
67 minGOAL! Juventus 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Lamela)
67 minGame on! Wanyama wins the ball in midfield and immediately plays in Lamela. The Argentine has players in support but he opts to go himself and finds the bottom corner from 16 yards out. It's a superb finish.
70 minThere's a little bid of needle creeping into this game. It is only a friendly but both sides want to win. Lamela is having more of an influence in this game. If some of his teammates can follow suit, don't write the White Hart Lane outfit off.
73 minSince the goal, Juventus have looked to spread possession and stretch the game. They seem intent on taking advantage of the lack of experience in the Spurs ranks. I get the feeling there is another goal in this match.
76 minCHANCE! Half a chance for Spurs to find an equaliser after Yedlin finds youngster Edwards inside the penalty area but the winger failed to control the ball and it rolled through to Neto.
79 minSUBSTITUTIONS! Another chance for Spurs as Amos comes on for Ball. That is soon followed by about five Juventus alterations but I'm not even going to attempt to bring you the ins and outs of it!
80 minCHANCE! A swift move from Spurs ends with the ball falling fortuitously for Lamela but his first-time strike was straight at Lamela. Harrison played a neat touch in that move, too.
83 minAll of the pressure is coming from Spurs but they are running out of time to score an equaliser. Everything is going through Lamela at the moment, but Edwards looks threatening as well.
88 minBOOKING! We have an early contender for most blatant shirt-pull of the season from Lirola on Wanyama and it sees him go into the book.
90 minThere will be two minutes of added-on time.
90+1 minCHANCE! That was the chance. Lamela does well to find Harrison but despite a decent strike, Neto pulls off a great save down to his right. The youngster was unlucky there. He did everything right.
90+3 minFULL TIME: Juventus 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
1.02pmThe full-time whistle has gone in Melbourne and Juventus have held on to secure a 2-1 win over Spurs. The Premier League side performed better in the second half but they were ultimately made to pay for their poor start to the contest.
1.03pmThat will be all from Sports Mole for this match. Thank you for joining us and we hope to see you again for more International Champions Cup action later in the week. Goodbye for now.
