Draw at Real shows Spurs on right track
Print Edition
TOTTENHAM Hotspur’s gritty performance in the UEFA Champions League was worthy of celebration, even if the match against Real Madrid ended only in a 1-1 draw.
The result against the defending champion on Tuesday left Tottenham in good position to make it to the knockout stages for the first time since 2010-11.
“That was our greatest challenge, to show ourselves that we could come here and compete against a team like Real Madrid at the Bernabeu,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “That’s something that we had been missing, this feeling that we can compete at the highest level.”
Spurs were tough opponents and could have left the Spanish capital with a win if it wasn’t for a few missed chances near the end and a great performance by Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
With its best team in a generation, Tottenham has been successful in the English Premier League in recent years, finishing third and second the last two seasons, but it has struggled to make the leap to becoming a contender at the European level.
There were high expectations for Tottenham when it made it to the UCL last season, but it disappointed and failed to get past the group stage.
“Last year, in six matches we won only seven points against teams like Monaco, Leverkusen and CSKA Moscow,” Pochettino said. “This year, we already won seven points after three matches against Borussia Dortmund, APOEL and Real Madrid. I think the team is more mature, we compete and that is the most important thing.”
The draw in Madrid left both teams tied at the top of Group H after three matches with seven points, six more than Borussia Dortmund and APOEL, which drew 1-1 in Cyprus.
Tottenham will host Madrid at Wembley in two weeks, with the winner likely securing first place in the group.
Tottenham’s next EPL game is at home on Saturday against Liverpool, which itself was in scintillating form on Tuesday, earning its first win after back-to-back draws in Group E by blanking Maribor 7-0 in Slovenia, falling just short of equalling the record for the biggest UCL win it set back in 2007.
Liverpool just missed out on matching its 8-0 win over Besiktas a decade ago, with Real also thrashing Sweden’s Malmo by the same scoreline two years ago. The Reds moved top of the section on five points, ahead of Spartak Moscow on goal difference after the Russians routed Sevilla 5-1.
Elsewhere, Manchester City edged Italian high-flyer Napoli 2-1 in Group F. City has nine points, with Shakhtar Donetsk three points behind after beating Feyenoord 2-1, and Napoli third with only three points. Feyenoord has no points.
In Group G, Besiktas tops with nine points after a shocking 2-1 win at AS Monaco. The Turks are five points ahead of RB Leipzig, which defeated Porto 3-2.
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