Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Paul van Hecke criticized Getafe's dirty tactics after a fiery pre-season friendly at Spurs' training ground ended in a 1-1 draw.
The 70-minute encounter, played behind closed doors, proved anything but routine as the Spanish side showed little sign of abating their renowned rough-house approach.
Sandro Tonali, who joined Tottenham for £100million from Newcastle this summer, was left incensed by a challenge from Mario Martin. After Tonali beat Martin to the ball and shoved him to the turf, the Spaniard retaliated by leaving a leg in as Tonali attempted to play the ball forward.
Tonali reacted furiously, chasing after Martin and grabbing his shoulder to turn him around before pushing him multiple times, including once to the neck.
Several Getafe players rushed toward Tonali and the approaching referee after the incident. Andy Robertson then stepped in to shove Kiko Femenia away as the defender attempted to complain to the official.
Van Hecke red card claims
Van Hecke, who joined Spurs from Brighton in a £52million deal this summer, felt Getafe overstepped the mark during the physical encounter.
"Sometimes it's good to have a physical game. I thought today was a bit too much," Van Hecke said. "From their side, sometimes it's not necessary, especially in a friendly. I think in a normal game maybe they have two or three red cards. But that's also maybe the way they play. We knew beforehand they can do it."
"It's a friendly, so you think maybe they would do it a bit less," he added. "But on the other hand, we also need to be at our best because if you don't put your foot in, they're going to win it. If that's what the game asks, then you need to put your foot in and battle with them, otherwise they win the battles. That's what you don't want. It's one of the first things you need to win in football."
"You saw at times it got a bit heated, but that's because of the reactions," Van Hecke noted. "If you get kicked, you're going to react."
Late goals seal draw
Both sides created chances during a goalless first half. Lucas Bergvall had the best effort for Tottenham, while Andy Gray did well to block a drive from Getafe's Ebrahima Drammeh.
The goals arrived in the closing minutes of the match. Getafe took the lead in the 66th minute when Alberto Risco volleyed past Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
Spurs responded moments later in the final minute as Conor Gallagher scored a neat finish following a good run. The home side almost won it late on, but Richarlison's header was saved by Getafe goalkeeper David Soria.
Pre-season squad and fixtures
Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi made no substitutions during the 70 minutes, which featured barely a break at half-time. Spurs named six young substitutes along with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, but none were used.
Several other senior players were involved in a separate training match at the training ground on Saturday. Players not involved against Getafe who are firmly back in pre-season preparation include Martin Dubravka, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Mateus Fernandes, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke.
Tottenham conclude their pre-season fixtures with a double-header against Bundesliga side Hoffenheim next Saturday, playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at 3pm UK time followed by a Sunday match at the training ground at 12pm. Spurs begin their Premier League campaign against Brentford on 22 August.
