The last few weeks have been tough for Tottenham fans. An early return for local hero Harry Kane after sustaining a ligament injury against Manchester United back in January did result in a goal but Mauricio Pochettino’s side weren’t able to take full advantage of their talisman’s return and were beaten 2-1 away from home by an in form Burnley side.
The following weeks were no better as they lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge against a struggling Chelsea team, and were lucky to force a 1-1 draw against North London rivals Arsenal thanks to the 91st minute penalty save by captain Hugo Lloris.
Next challenge for Tottenham: playing against the Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund in front of the Yellow Wall of Signal Iduna Park in the Champions League.
Dortmund themselves are victims of a poor form having drawn 3, won 1 and lost 1 of their last 5 matches. Even though Tottenham had a 3-0 lead from the first leg in Wembley, the home team were expected to make things tough for the London side.
As expected Dortmund started strong by dominating possession, passing the ball well and pressing high, not giving Tottenham players any time on the ball. With their talisman Marco Reus returning from an injury, having missed the first leg, Dortmund seemed favorites to break the deadlock. But the well disciplined Tottenham defense made it impossible for the German side to get a clear shot at goal.
The 5 man defense retained their shape throughout the game. Vertonghen and Sanchez matched Jadon Sancho’s pace and managed to keep the English youngster quiet for the entire match. The incredible Tottenham defense put in 17 tackles throughout the game with a 70.6% win ratio. A stunning performance.
And few of the attacks that did manage to get past the defensive line, couldn’t beat Hugo Lloris. The French international put in a man of the match performance making 5 crucial saves in the first half itself, bagging his 100th clean sheet for Tottenham.
Harry Kane’s 48th minute goal ensured a quarter final place for the English side and made him Spurs’ top scorer in European competitions. Favre’s men put up an impressive performance, but the young and energetic side were no match for the mature and experienced Tottenham team.
Pochettino’s tactics proved to be on point and gave Dortmund no chance to pull a huge comeback they would have hoped to make. Tottenham truly pulled off a defensive masterclass and gave a performance their fans were dying to see. This game surely has uplifted the team’s morale and has proved that Tottenham are a force to be reckoned with in Europe.
