Tottenham open Group H account with clinical 3-1 win over Dortmund
By Gary Pearson
Harry Kane bagged a brace to give Spurs an all-important 3-1 win in their opening Champions League fixture, snapping Dortmund’s 12-game unbeaten streak.
Spurs were clinical on the counter against a crafty Dortmund side in the opening half of an incredibly fast-paced, exciting European night in the capital.
Dortmund showed their class on the ball, but Spurs’ lack of possession didn’t phase Mauricio Pochettino’s men. Tottenham proved they can counter with the best of them, scoring on their first two shots of the match through blistering passages of play.
Son Heung-Min – who started in the suspended Dele Alli’s stead – started and finished the play on Tottenham’s opener four minutes in. Son’s beautifully weighted headed pass found Eriksen, who knocked it quickly to Harry Kane. Kane’s ball sent Son flying down the wing, the South Korean taking no time to admire his earlier pass.
Son took matters into his own hands, dummying the defender and smashing a drive past the helpless blank at the near post. His outstanding solo effort so early in the encounter made Alli’s absence all the more palatable.
Andriy Yarmolenko’s wonder strike four minutes later drew the German side level. Crafty and quick movement by Dortmund showed why they are one of the world’s best possession sides. But Spurs were, for the most part, comfortable soaking up the pressure, biding their time, waiting for an opportunity to counter with ruthless potency.
Rugby tackled to the ground, Kane bounced back to his feet, displaying his bullish strength, sheer determination and class to put Spurs back on top. No defender in the world can stop Kane when he’s in this kind of form. The referee, Gianluca Rocchi, deserves a lot of credit for playing the advantage.
Unlike the Everton match, Tottenham’s defence was regularly tested against a quality Dortmund attack. Jan Vertonghen, Ben Davies and Toby Alderweireld were all forced into crucial, last-gasp tackles before the interval. Serge Aurier, on his Spurs debut, showed fearless aggression, blended with moments of pure class. Allowing the ball to bounce over his own head in Spurs’ box, Aurier showed he’s not lacking any confidence.
Tottenham were lucky not to concede an equalizer, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s classy 57th minute finished was incorrectly ruled offside.
Dortmund inexplicably left Kane unmarked for the poacher’s second of the match after the break. Kane punished the German side for their defensive incompetence, putting Spurs up by two with 30 minutes to play.
Dortmund hadn’t conceded a goal in three prior Bundesliga matches. Then again, they hadn’t played an opposition of Spurs’ attacking quality. Kane has now scored four goals in two matches, Spurs’ talisman a threat on every foray into the opposing half.
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The only sour note of the night was losing Vertonghen to an extremely dubious sending off. His flailing arm deserved a yellow and nothing more.
It was the kind of spirited, collaborative effort that should springboard Spurs’ Champions League campaign into high gear.