Out-of-favour Tottenham striker Richarlison scored for the club's under-21s in their EFL Trophy defeat at Cheltenham Town.

The 29-year-old Brazil international had moves to Everton and Vasco da Gama collapse through this summer and has not been included in Spurs' 25-man Premier League squad.

His sole senior appearance for the club this season came in the 3-0 defeat at Brentford on the Premier League 's opening weekend in August.

After George Miller had given the League Two side the lead, Richarlison equalised with a tidy first-time finish from a right-wing cross.

Miracle Adewole then put the young Spurs side ahead in the group-stage tie, only for Miller to score deep into stoppage time to send the tie to penalties.

Richarlison scored his spot-kick but the home side won the shootout 7-6.

Elsewhere, Notts County thumped the under-21s of city rivals Nottingham Forest 5-1 to secure their place in the second round.

Goals from Luka Smyth, Jacob Bedeau, Lee Ndlovu, Connor Grant and Callum Roberts put the League One side 5-0 up before Buba Sanneh got a consolation for the visitors in time added on.

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "Richarlison scores as Spurs under-21s lose in EFL Trophy" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Live Commentary metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

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