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Tottenham ’s pre-season preparations took an unusual turn in China as Harry Kane , Dele Alli and Erik Lamela played against 100 local children.
Mauricio Pochettino ’s Champions League finalists are stepping up their work for the 2019-2020 campaign in sweltering Shanghai, where the heat and humidity is only adding to the workload demanded by their manager.
Spurs trained for the first time on Chinese soil on Tuesday morning – and a handful of lucky souls then returned to Yuanshen Stadium for an unfamiliar second session.
To celebrate club sponsors AIA’s 100th anniversary, Kane, Alli, Lamela and Juan Foyth took part in the ‘3 v 100 Challenge’ in the stifling midday heat in Shanghai.
“Another tough challenge,” Alli told PA with a smile before trotting out to face the local kids.
Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 LiverpoolShow all 100 1 /100Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The story of Liverpool's Champions League victory
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The ultimate prize in European football sits pitchside before kick-off
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool fans before kick-off
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Tottenham supporters makes themselves heard
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Steven Gerrard on punditry duty
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mohamed Salah warms up on the pitch
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Kane is a surprise inclusion from the start, having not played since the quarter-finals nearly two months ago
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Spurs players limber up ahead of the game
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Spurs fans begin to fill their end of the stadium
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool fans in full voice at the other end
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The pre-match show lights up the Madrid evening
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Imagine Dragons take centre stage
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The players emerge for kick-off
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final A minute's applause for the former Arsenal footballer Jose Antonio Reyes, who died on Friday in a road traffic accident
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Spurs players embrace each other one last time
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool get the game under way...
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final ... and 26 seconds later, they have a penalty when Moussa Sissoko is adjudged to have handled the ball
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Referee Damir Skomina checks with VAR but the decision stands
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mohamed Salah steps up for Liverpool
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Egyptian drives the ball down the middle as Hugo Lloris dives to his left
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Salah celebrates opening the scoring with the second fastest goal in Champions League final history
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mauricio Pochettino's side have it all to do
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Kane takes a clattering from Joel Matip
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Kane is down, but he recovers quickly
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final A pitch invader briefly halts the action
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Virgil van Dijk directs the Liverpool defence
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Toby Alderweireld battles with Salah as the game ambles towards half-time
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The sun sets on the Wanda Metropolitano
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Half-time: Tottenham 0-1 Liverpool
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool fans enjoyed the first half
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Kane looks a little frustrated after struggling to make an impact
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Son Heung-min and Trend Alexander-Arnold fight for the ball at the start of the second half
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mohamed Salah looks to the sky
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Roberto Firmino and Jan Vertonghen vie for the ball
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Kane and Joel Matip tussle
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The match from above
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Tottenham fans try to lift their team
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mo Salah in full flow
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Trent Alexander-Arnold controls with his chest
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Alisson claws the ball away from his area as the Spurs pressure builds
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Tottenham fans watch on anxiously as the clock ticks down
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Divock Origi shoots into the far corner
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final And spins away to celebrate Liverpool's second goal
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Origi celebrates in front of elated Liverpool fans
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Hugo Lloris reacts after Origi's strike
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Alisson points to the sky
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool players mob Origi
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Full-time: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Tottenham players react at the final whistle
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool celebrate their triumph
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp shake hands
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Liverpool plans react at the end of the game
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Jubilation for Liverpool the pitch
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Georginio Wijnaldum celebrates
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Kane looks dejected after the result
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Trent Alexander-Arnold lets out a roar
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Jordan Henderson raises the Champions League trophy
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Alberto Moreno lifts the trophy wearing a t-shirt dedicated to Jose Antonio Reyes
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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“Not quite like playing in the Premier League against XI but it’s exciting and it’s nice to have a bit of fun with them.”
Kane, Alli and Lamela certainly looked like they enjoyed themselves as they teamed up – even if they did take it a little seriously.
Just days after scoring a wonderful goal from the halfway line against Juventus, Kane tried his luck again. This time, though, it just cleared the crossbar.
But having fallen a goal behind in their mini match, Tottenham were not to be denied and Alli slammed home a penalty to secure a 3-2 aggregate win – albeit after going down in exaggerated circumstances.
It was a good workout for the first-team players and the children did not appear too upset by the dodgy manner of their defeat.
In fact, they all came together to sing happy birthday to England captain Kane ahead of his 26th birthday this weekend.
But with pre-season in full flow, the cake – a white Tottenham shirt with ‘Kane 10’ on it – unsurprisingly went untouched.
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