Tottenham Match Report: Harry Kane tops APOEL
By Ryan Wrenn
Harry Kane netted his sixth hat-trick of 2017 as Tottenham earned all three points from their visit to Cyprus to take on APOEL Nicosia.
The result puts Tottenham atop Champions League Group H along with Real Madrid, who beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in Germany.
Mauricio Pochettino’s injury and suspension issues made for a relatively unusual team selection, with all three experienced full-backs named in the starting XI.
The absence of Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli was clear in the opening volleys of the match, as Spurs struggled to find traction on the Cypriot pitch.
Perhaps more notable were the defensive lapses, which included a chance conceded to APOEL that only narrowly missed being an opening goal for the hosts thanks to the crossbar.
Hugo Lloris also launched what should have been a deep ball into Davinson Sánchez’s back. The deflected ball thankfully missed the goalmouth, but only narrowly.
Even with issues on both ends of the pitch though, the momentum favored Spurs.
When Toby Alderweireld’s wonderfully incisive pass through APOEL’s midfield and defense found Harry Kane in the 39th minute, it felt like the culmination of a slow burn that had been building for the entire half.
More from Match Reports
- From glory, glory to gory, gory, for Mason and Tottenham Hotspur
- Ryan Mason’s Elegant Solution to Tottenham’s Problems
- Tottenham – Defensive needs show over last two games
- Tottenham Hotspur hold off Brighton in much needed 2-1 win
- Mason moves make the difference for lucky Tottenham against Brighton
The interval came six minutes later, which might have cut off Tottenham’s belated purple patch far too early. Kane wasn’t done yet however, even of APOEL continued to frustrate his efforts to get close to goal.
The Cypriots couldn’t hold back the reigning Premier League Golden Boot winner for long though. Kane would score his second goal in the 62nd minute thanks to an assist from Moussa Sissoko — the improving Frenchman’s first involvement in a goal so far this season.
Pochettino might have been forgiven for taking Kane off at that point. APOEL maintained a surprisingly firm grip on the game despite being behind, but with a match against Huddersfield on Saturday Kane — who has started all but one Spurs match so far this season — will presumably need as much rest as possible.
A chance for a Champions League hat-trick was too tempting to pass up though. Only Gareth Bale has ever managed that feat for Spurs in Europe’s premier international club competition.
Thankfully for everyone but APOEL, Kane didn’t wait long to make his mark on history. A cross from Kieran Trippier found Kane in the box, and the England international deftly sent the ball past APOEL keeper Boy Waterman.
Georges-Kévin Nkoudou would come on for Kane seven minutes later, receiving an ovation by the traveling supporters as he walked off the pitch. It was a historic night for Kane, one that will not soon be forgotten.
That said, Kane’s triumph isn’t quite enough to obscure another shockingly uneven performance for the Spurs team as a whole. APOEL might have been playing on home turf, just as West Ham were over the weekend, but Tottenham yielded a lot of ground — and chances — that previous incarnations of this team never did.
Next: Harry Winks adds control to the chaos
Injuries and suspensions are limiting Pochettino’s options, which might explain his dip in coherence. Something will need to be done to tighten things up before a run of matches in October that sees Spurs face off against Liverpool and Manchester United in the Premier League as well as Real Madrid in the Champions League.