Tottenham players deliver for their countries on Tuesday
By Aaron Coe
After a number of big performances over the weekend, the trend continued with big victories on Tuesday internationally, a handful of Tottenham Hotspur players should be returning full of confidence. Gareth Bale, Toby Alderweireld, and Joe Rodon had big days in World Cup qualification, while Serge Aurier continues to lead Ivory Coast. While a few other players saw their names and even numbers called, it was the quartet that shined.
Captains coming through from Tottenham
On Tuesday both Serge Aurier and Gareth Bale were captains of their respective squads and both came through when the team needed them. Aurier assisted Willy Boly just three minutes in with a corner that Boly headed home for the 1-0 lead on Ethiopia. Aurier and his Coate d’Ivoire teammates left home with a 3-1 win and Aurier grabbed a yellow card to go with his assist.
The win helped the Elephants win Group K of the tournament, which will continue with knock matches in January and February of 2022. For Aurier it is a great win and gives him and his teammates a chance to go after a trophy the Ivorians last won in 2015.
Gareth Bale also provided a big assist for Wales, who got three huge points against the Czech Republic to stay alive in Group E World cup qualifying in UEFA. After getting railroaded by Toby Alderweireld and the world’s number one Belgium 3-1 to open play, getting zero points from two matches would have left Wales in a world of hurt.
Instead, Gareth Bale did something he rarely does – take a thrown-in – which got him the ball on the left-wing, where a big touch and a swift cross. That cross was met by Dan James, scoring the only goal of the match. Not to be outdone, before the match was over in the second minute of extra/injury time, Joe Rodon had a huge block in the box to deflect over a shot from the six. Rodon played big and it is a good experience for him to come back with.
Alderweireld and Belgium continue to roll
Toby Alderweireld and Belgium had their third match of the break with Tottenham’s center back playing a full 270 minutes for the Red Devils. However, the 90 minutes Alderweireld put in against Belarus on Tuesday was far from strenuous. Belgium crushed Belarus 8-0 and Toby was awesome completing 92 of 99 passes including a sweet assist to Romelo Lukaku. With seven points from their three games, Belgium is looking in good shape to advance, although there is much football still to play.
Not everything went roses for Tottenham players
The one Spur who will not have those feelings from Tuesday will be Steven Bergwijn who was an unused substitute for the Netherlands in a 0-8 win over Gibraltar. With only 1 minute in three matches for the Dutch, Bergwijn has to be at least a little bummed.
The good news for Tottenham Hotspur fans is that football for the countries will have to wait for at least these players as their break comes to an end. With a 10 match slog over two months, Tottenham has a chance to make something special of this season still. Having a group like this come back with confidence is a positive thing that will hopefully carry Tottenham forward.