Tottenham Hotspur’s brilliant second-half performance secured their place in the round of 16 on the final day of the UEFA Champions League group stage. Two unlikely goalscorers for Tottenham, goals from Clement Lenglet and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg saved them from defeat in France.
The north London club needed to avoid defeat against Marseille to reach the round of 16. Antonio Conte was also watching the match from the stands after seeing a red card last week. But the absence of the manager did not matter so much. Tottenham saved their European campaign after improving in the second half.
Tottenham Hotspur struggled in the first 45 minutes after not trying to score. But the second half changed the dynamics of the game.
But Conte will have a major headache, having lost one of his star men, Son Heung-min, to a head injury. Like many of his attacking players, he misses games due to injury.
Tottenham Hotspur match day activity
Conte used his traditional 3-4-3 formation with Kane up front and Lucas e Son on the flanks. But sadly, Son was forced to leave the field early after sustaining a head injury.
In contrast, Marseille manager Igor Tudor used the same formation as Tottenham. Alexis Sánchez led the attack against his former rival with Guendozi and Harit on the flanks.
In the first half, Sánchez squandered a golden opportunity to head the ball into the net after a brilliant high pass from Harit. Just before half-time, Marseille’s surprise corner from Veretout was headed in by Mbemba which shocked the Spurs team. Tottenham weren’t creative enough in the first half to create significant chances.
In the second half, Perisic took a free kick earned by Harry Kane. This time, Lenglet’s header leveled the score for Tottenham Hotspur. In the 87th minute of the game, Kolasinac squandered a golden opportunity to give his team the lead. But early in extra time, Tottenham punished Marseille to complete their comeback. Hojbjerg scored an impressive goal from Kane’s pass in the few seconds before the final whistle.
Lloris and Lenglet in the post-match interview
During the post-match interview, Hugo Lloris spoke to BT Sport. He praised his compatriot Clement Lenglet. He spoke: “Clement [Lenglet] he scored a very important goal in France, against the French people”. The captain also added: “We talked in the locker room, we started the second half with much more personality and aggressiveness. We played a very good second half. It was a tough night and a great battle.”
This was Clement Lenglet’s best performance in a Tottenham shirt as he won the Man of the Match award. He spoke about his goal: “I’m happy to score here, more for the team and we needed a point and it’s very important to win these kinds of games. I’m happy because it’s an important goal for the team”.
With all these injuries, Tottenham Hotspur will face Liverpool on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The match will be very important for both teams for their progression in the League table.
