MY ACCOUNT
Tottenham were made to wait in their bid to reach the Champions League’s last 16 after Harry Kane was denied a 95th-minute winner in a contentious and chaotic finish to their 1-1 draw with Sporting CP.
Kane looked to have sealed Spurs’ progression from Group B when he fired past Antonio Adan from close range at the last, but a VAR review controversially ruled the striker to have been offside.
Marcus Edwards – who came through Spurs’ youth system before moving to Portugal – had earlier handed Sporting a deserved lead, which was cancelled out by Rodrigo Bentancur’s header.
Antonio Conte was dismissed for his furious reaction to Kane’s disallowed goal, and his side will now require a result at Marseille next Tuesday in order to reach the knockout stage.
Paulinho had already given Spurs a warning before Edwards opened the scoring 22 minutes in, riding Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s challenge in a slaloming run before picking out the bottom-right corner.
Sporting were on top throughout the opening half and were denied a two-goal lead when Sebastian Coates inexplicably handled into the net from close range.
Spurs needed 52 minutes to put Adan under any genuine pressure, as Eric Dier tested the Spaniard with a well-struck volley before sending a glancing header onto the roof of the net.
Sporting passed up huge chances to make sure of the points through Flavio Nazinho, and they paid for that profligacy as Bentancur rose to nod Ivan Perisic’s corner home with Adan in no man’s land.
However, there was more drama to come when Kane lashed in from Emerson Royal’s knockdown and a three-minute VAR review followed, eventually striking off the England captain’s winner.
What does it mean? Spurs’ battle goes to the wire
Group D always looked likely to be one of the Champions League’s tightest groups, and thanks to an incredible conclusion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, all four teams remain in contention for a last-16 spot with one round of games remaining.
Spurs will now require a result at Marseille to progress, having won just two of their last eight Champions League games (D2 L4) following a run of three successive wins between October and November 2019.
Conte has overseen just three wins in his last 12 home Champions League games (D7 L2), a run which also encompasses spells in charge of Chelsea and Inter.
Young Lion roars at former home
Sporting thoroughly deserved to hit the front midway through the first half, and they did so thanks to a spectacular solo effort from former Tottenham winger Edwards.
With his goal, the 23-year-old became just the fourth Englishman to score against an English club in the Champions League while playing for a foreign team – after Patrick Roberts vs Manchester City, Fikayo Tomori vs Liverpool, and Jude Bellingham vs Manchester City (twice).
Bentancur rescues Spurs
Although Tottenham missed out on the victory that would have secured their place in the last 16 with a game to spare, Bentancur’s equaliser left them in a better position than that they occupied at 1-0 down, when Sporting were heading for the Group D summit.
The Uruguay midfielder’s header brought him his first Champions League goal in what was his 36th appearance in the competition, and it could yet prove vital in the battle for qualification.
Key Opta Facts
– After losing each of their first five Champions League matches against English clubs, Sporting are since unbeaten in three such matches, avoiding defeat against Manchester City (D1) and Spurs (W1 D1).
– Perisic has four set-play assists in all competitions this season, the joint-most of any Premier League player along with Fulham’s Andreas Pereira.
– Paulinho has been directly involved in seven goals in the Champions League for Sporting since the start of last season (four goals, three assists), more than any other player for the club.
What’s next?
Tottenham travel to Bournemouth in their next Premier League outing on Saturday, while Sporting visit Arouca in the Primeira Liga on the same day.
