TOTTENHAM 2-0 BORUSSIA DORTMUND: On a night when Spurs boss Thomas Frank desperately needed a positive result, his side delivered one of their best of the season
Finally Thomas Frank got some much needed and deserved luck. This felt like it was going to be Frank’s last stand and yet somehow Tottenham produced one of their best results of the season to give their manager a stay of execution.
Whether it is enough to save him for any length of time remains to be seen because it feels like the die has been cast and even this result may just be delaying the inevitable.
But for what felt like one of very few occasions this season, the fans really got behind the team and the stadium was energised again.
The luck came in the shape of Borussia Dortmund going down to ten men after just 26 minutes when Daniel Svensson was sent off for an X-rated challenge after a VAR check.
Dortmund, sitting second in the Bundesliga, were by far and away the best team Spurs have faced at home in the Champions League this season and yet the German giants were at a huge disadvantage for more than an hour.
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Then even when Dominic Solanke did his very best to miss a gilt-edged chance, the ball still trickled in off his foot from point blank range.
It was Solanke’s first start of the season, his first start under Frank and his performance highlighted just how much they have missed him because he was a strong focal point in attack.
Tottenham were defiant, determined and delivered a strong performance for their manager despite a crippling injury and absentee list which extended to 13 players.
Somehow Tottenham got themselves over the line and showed that unity can be a powerful force as the supporters quickly turned some pre-match jeers into cheers during the game. Frank got an absolute soaking on the touchline as the rain came down in North London but he will surely not care one bit.
This is the manager who has insisted that the board is still backing him and therefore he will believe that this result might represent the turning of a corner for his team.
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The Tottenham hierarchy were out in force in their magnificent stadium – and even the crowd was a respectable 52,713 – and this may at least give them something to think about.
Defeat would have surely spelt the end but maybe a win gives Frank until Saturday’s trip to Burnley and it extended their remarkable unbeaten home record in Europe to 24 games, a run which stretches back to February 2020.
It should also be enough to get them into the knock-out stages of the Champions League which is no mean feat in itself and will certainly help the bank balance.
Tottenham were ahead after 14 minutes. Pedro Porro’s corner was not cleared, Wilson Odobert slashed at a shot but then put over a low cross and there was Cristian Romero to turn home from close range.
Spurs skipper Romero threw his arms up in the air to whip up the crowd and suddenly all the negativity and doom felt as if it had been washed away.
Dortmund were reduced to ten men after Svensson made a reckless challenge on Odobert, Swedish referee Glenn Hyberg was sent to the VAR screen and duly sent off the Dortmund midfielder.
And you really knew it was going Tottenham’s way after 37 minutes. Odobert’s low cross put the ball on a plate for Solanke who did his very best to mess it up, missed his kick and then it almost deflected in off his foot and crept over the line.
Lucas Bergvall went off injured but there was a lovely moment for 17-year-old Jun’ai Byfield who came on for his first team debut after a month after signing his first professional contract which perhaps also highlighted the lack of resources.
Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani actually had chances to make it more comfortable and Dortmund, despite pressure and possession, rarely looked like scoring until Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario tipped over Nico Schlotterbeck’s late header.
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