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TOTTENHAM MOVE TO 4TH IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TABLE AFTER DOMINANT DORTMUND WIN
Tottenham beat 10-man Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to secure their 4th UCL home win. Read the exclusive match analysis and xG breakdown.
The atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur has been pretty rough lately, but a solid home win in the Champions League can fix a lot of things. And that's what Spurs got. Cuti Romero and Dominic Solanke scored in the first half, putting Spurs up 2-0 against a ten-man Dortmund by halftime. The second half was a bit more tense, but Tottenham did enough to win comfortably against a Dortmund team that has only lost once in the Bundesliga this season. The final score was 2-0.
Whatever you think about Thomas Frank and his future, he got things spot-on today, even with several players out. Micky van de Ven was a notable absence, serving a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation. Kevin Danso replaced him on the right side of the defence, with Cuti moving over to Micky’s usual spot. Interestingly, Djed Spence started as a left winger, with Destiny Udogie behind him at left back. Archie Grey and Lucas Bergvall held down the midfield, with Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, and Dom Solanke, making his first start of the season, up front. Pedro Porro was his usual self.
Spurs started strong, attacking Dortmund from the start and looking to get the ball into the box. They scored from a set piece after 14 minutes, with Wilson Odobert passing to Cuti Romero, who scored easily to put Spurs ahead. The game changed ten minutes later when a Dortmund defender was sent off for a risky tackle on Odobert, which was reviewed by VAR. Spurs took advantage, with Dominic Solanke scoring his first goal of the season late in the first half to make it 2-0.
With a comfortable lead and an extra player, Tottenham eased off a bit, being more patient in front of Dortmund’s goal instead of pushing for a third. Dortmund also played a part, pressing higher in the second half and trying to disrupt Tottenham's possession. Lucas Bergvall had to leave the field after a tough challenge with Emre Can, replaced by young Jun’ai Byfield, who made his debut. Randal Kolo Muani came on for Solanke later in the game.
Here’s what I thought about the match.
Starting Djed Spence at left wing? Felt like Thomas Frank was taking a page out of Tim Sherwood’s book. Honestly, part of me hoped this meant Frank would be a short-term experiment too. But Spence actually spent most of the game giving Dortmund’s fullback a really hard time one-on-one, so maybe I have to eat my words.
The first ten minutes had more attacking drive than I’ve seen from Spurs in ages. So many runs into the box, and they weren’t just swinging in crosses—these were real passes, real movement. Is this what Frank’s football is supposed to be?
Cuti Romero as our best scorer—who saw that coming? Great finish after a nice pass from Odobert. I thought the whole thing was about to fall apart after Odobert’s dodgy corner, but he pulled it together, set up Cuti, and boom. Well done.
Maybe Tottenham just looks better in Europe because the Premier League is brutal. Spurs didn’t have too many issues handling Dortmund—a team that’s only lost once in the Bundesliga. The visitors couldn’t really keep up with the pace in the first half.
That tackle on Svensson—I still don’t know if it should’ve been a red. Didn’t look intentional, and he seemed to be falling when he caught Odobert. I’d be fuming if it went against us, but for once, the call went our way. No complaints here.
Xavi Simons stole the show, honestly. Just amazing. Turns out, when you actually give your best player the ball near the box, good things happen. And the guy was smiling! He should do that more often—he plays even better.
Solanke’s goal cracked me up. I thought he fluffed the chance, mistimed his run, and then somehow poked the ball off his own foot, off the post, and in. Still counts.
I was nervous about Lucas Bergvall and Archie Grey in midfield, but they were solid together. It's the best the middle of the park has looked in a while, though having an extra player on the pitch definitely helps.
The downside—Bergvall seemed to pick up a knock after a clash with Emre Can. He had to come off, and in came 17-year-old Jun’ai Byfield for his debut. The last time we saw him was in the preseason against Luton. He’s a big lad, and he handled himself well.
Kolo Muani—what do you even say? He got through on goal at least three times and couldn’t bury any of them. That sums up his Spurs career so far, really.
I wasn’t thrilled with Spurs just sitting back on their lead through most of the second half. That’s classic Frank, but I wanted more of that first-half energy. Still, I can’t argue with the scoreline.
Honestly, I’m not sure what’s weirder—being fourth in the Champions League table after City and PSG both lost or the fact that it’s actually deserved if you look at the xG numbers.
Spurs just need to handle business against Eintracht Frankfurt in the last group game. Even a draw should get them through to the next round with a bye. They’re at least guaranteed a playoff spot. Can’t really ask for more than that.
EUSéBIO REFERENCE: WHY DID MOURINHO USE A CLUB LEGEND TO DEFEND A RACISM ACCUSATION?
Is Mourinho wrong? Analyse the fallout of the Vinícius racism incident, featuring insights from Seedorf, Henry, and Walcott.
During Real Madrid's Champions League match at Benfica, an incident of alleged racist abuse against Vinicius Junior occurred, sparking widespread condemnation. Trent Alexander-Arnold called it a disgrace to football, while Jose Mourinho's comments on the matter drew criticism.
The game was paused for 10 minutes after Vinicius reported that Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni had allegedly hurled racist insults at him. Vinicius and his teammates briefly left the field in response.
Vinicius, who has faced racist abuse before, posted on Instagram that racists are, above all, cowards.
Benfica's manager, Mourinho, suggested that Vinicius didn't celebrate respectfully after scoring a goal in the 1-0 victory. This happened just before the incident at the Estadio da Luz.
Mourinho commented, 'Something is wrong because it happens at every stadium.' Wherever Vinicius plays, something always happens.
Clarence Seedorf, a former Real Madrid midfielder, responded to Mourinho's claims on Amazon Prime, saying, 'I think he's still emotional and made a mistake justifying racial abuse.' Saying it's OK to be racist when Vinicius provokes you is wrong. We should never justify racial abuse. Vinicius has had enough unjustified behaviour. Mourinho deep down would agree, but he misspoke.
Alexander-Arnold, speaking after the match, said, 'What happened tonight is a disgrace to football and overshadowed the performance and the amazing goal.' Vini has experienced this before. Ruining a night like this is a disgrace. There's no place for it in football or society. It's disgusting.
Mourinho spoke with Vinicius after the player walked off the pitch following the exchange with Prestianni.
Mourinho said that Vinicius and Prestianni gave conflicting accounts of the incident. He also mentioned Benfica's legendary striker, Eusebio, to argue that Benfica isn't a racist club, while also saying he felt Vinicius incited the crowd with his celebration.
'Yes, I believe so,' Mourinho stated. It should be a crazy moment, an amazing goal. But he wasn't just happy to score that goal. When you score like that, you celebrate respectfully.
He added, 'I told Vinicius to just celebrate and walk back.' When he argued about racism, I reminded him that Eusebio, the biggest person in this club's history, was Black. This club is the last thing from racist. If he thought something related to that, this is Benfica.
They told me different things. I don't believe either one – I want to be independent.
Theo Walcott said on Amazon Prime after hearing Mourinho's interview, 'I'm usually calm and don't get angry often.'
I admire Jose Mourinho's work in football, but he made a poor decision here. This was a time he shouldn't have spoken, a night he should have stayed away from cameras.
Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius' teammate at Real Madrid, suggested that Prestianni should be banned from the Champions League because of the alleged incident.
Mbappe stated, 'This has never happened to me.' It's important to be clear, not general, on important matters like this. I respect Benfica and their coach, one of history's best, who made history with Real Madrid. But this player doesn't deserve to play in the Champions League anymore.
We can't accept this behaviour in Europe's top competition. This guy doesn't deserve to play in the Champions League, but we'll see. We'll leave it to Uefa, who always try to act. They have a serious case now, and I hope they do something.
Prestianni has not yet commented.
With the second leg coming up next Wednesday in Madrid, Walcott urged UEFA to take swift action.
This needs immediate action, not months of waiting, Walcott said.
Thierry Henry, speaking on CBS, talked about his own experiences with racist abuse as a player.
I can relate to what Vinicius Junior is going through. It happened to me many times on the field. Sometimes you feel alone because it's your word against theirs, since we don't know what he said, Henry shared.
He covered his mouth with his shirt. He already looks suspicious because he didn't want people to see what he said.
Let's see if Prestianni will tell us what he said.
MBAPPé DEMANDS BAN: KYLIAN CALLS FOR PRESTIANNI’S DISQUALIFICATION FROM EUROPE’S TOP COMPETITION
Is a 10-game ban coming? Analyse the Vinícius racism storm at Benfica and why Kylian Mbappé is demanding immediate UEFA action.
During a Champions League game, Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior claimed that Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him.
The game was paused for 10 minutes when Real Madrid players threatened to leave the field in protest.
Benfica's coach, Jose Mourinho, stated that Vinícius provoked his players and the fans with how he celebrated his goal.
Kylian Mbappe is calling for serious consequences for Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni after the alleged racial abuse of Vinicius Jr on Tuesday night.
The 63-year-old coach seemed to be in a serious conversation with Vinicius as he went to the bench after scoring a great goal.
Things got heated, and the winger even left the field after Prestianni commented on his back. Play resumed after a 10-minute break, but the situation had already caused a big reaction.
Kylian Mbappé Wants Champions League Ban For Alleged Abuse
Mbappe spoke after the game and was very clear about his feelings. The French striker believes that the Benfica player's actions deserve punishment. He said:
Mbappe continued, The fans booed us because they didn't hear what was said. We need to take action; we can't let this happen. I hope they take steps. We need to show an example for all the kids who look up to us; there are things we can't accept.
Mbappé thinks Prestianni, 20, should be punished, adding, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I don't ignore this kind of thing. This player is young. How can you say such things on a football field?
What Prestianni Allegedly Said to Vinicius Jr
Mbappé also shared what he thinks the Argentine midfielder said to his teammate. In an interview, he claimed:
According to UEFA rules (Article 14 on racism and discrimination), a player found guilty of racist behaviour, such as insulting someone based on race, skin colour, or origin, faces a suspension of at least ten games (or a similar time period, or another suitable penalty).
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