Image Credit: The Guardian
By Lee Clow
01 September 2019 | Champions League
Tottenham were humiliated at home as Bayern smashed seven past them in an eventual 2-7 victory which saw ex Arsenal man, Serge Gnabry, score four.
Despite the score line, Tottenham started the opening exchanges well and opened the deadlock after 12 minutes through Son Heung-min. The South Korean, who was played onside by Niklas Sule, raced on to Moussa Sissoko's pass and fired the ball across the outrushing Manuel Neuer. Huge roar filled the ground as expectations of another classic Champions League fixture at Spurs was on the horizon.
Unfortunately for Tottenham, their lead was instantly lost when Bayern equalised through Joshua Kimmich. The full back adventurously went forward before striking a wonderful effort from 25 yards, beating the dive of Hugo Lloris. After the equaliser, Bayern started to take control of the game by keeping hold of possession and denying Tottenham any real chance.
As the minutes counted down it looked like both teams would go into the break level at 1-1. However, Bayern had something to say about that and scored a second through Lewandowski with virtually the last kick of the half. The Poland striker picked up the loose ball at the edge of the area and swivelled superbly to fire into the bottom corner past Lloris to give the German league leaders the advantage.
As the referee blew for the interval, boos filled the ground as the Spurs fans once again witnessed their team concede right at the end of the first half.
If the first half was a memorable one, then the second was one of the best, especially for the German side. Bayern took control of the game and it wasn’t long until they found a third goal that put breathing space between them and Spurs. Ex Arsenal man Serge Gnabry cleverly cut inside both Serge Aurier and Toby Alderweireld before unleashing an emphatic finish past Lloris. Once again, the Spurs fans let out their frustration as another defeat loomed.
Only two minutes later, Gnabry got his second and Bayern’s fourth. The man who was once described by Tony Pulis as ‘not ready for this stage’ turned the Tottenham defence inside out before finishing smartly past Lloris for the second time.
To give Spurs credit, they still continued to push and soon were rewarded with a penalty after Coman clumsily made contact with Danny Rose in the area. Harry Kane stood up from spot and once again dispatched his penalty without any doubt. Immediately after the goal, Pochettino threw on Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela in the hope they could inspire the team to another great comeback.
Despite the positive changes by Spurs, the team began to open up and collapse allowing Bayern to exploit them. Serge Gnabry completed his hattrick in the 83rd minute to cement the victory with another calm finish.
Four minutes later, the away side found a 6th goal through Lewandowski who finished excellently off the post after some great build up play on the edge of the box.
With the Spurs fans heading for the exit, Gnabry rubbed even more salt in the wounds as he smashed home his fourth and Bayern’s seventh of the game. It is the first time in Tottenham's 137-year history that they have ever conceded seven goals at home in any competition.
The defeat for Spurs leaves them with only 1 point in their opening 2 group games making qualification to the knockout stages even harder. Spurs will want to draw inspiration from last year having proceeded to the Final despite only picking up 1 point from their opening 3 group games. For Bayern, they take away another 3 points leaving them with 6 points and a high chance of topping the group.
An embarrassing night for Tottenham Hotspur will certainly lead to huge pressures by all especially towards manager Pochettino who has come under some criticisms over recent weeks.
After the game Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was very disappointed having witnessed arguably the worst game of his Spurs managerial career. He said: "Now it's a moment to stay all together. We cannot talk now. Today is a moment where we know how we feel, all disappointed. The feelings are not so good. Now is a moment to be calm. After a result like today, there will be no shouting or talking when the emotion is on the skin…They were very clinical. With the quality that they have, if you are after 53 minutes and you concede two goals then you take risks. We are so disappointed. I feel very, very disappointed. My feeling is so bad. When you concede seven goals you have to stand up and be tough."
Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac said: "It looks like London is a good town for me. It was a great evening for Bayern Munich and German football…We were lucky in the first 30 minutes. We knew Tottenham would put a lot of pressure on us, that is the mentality of this club. We were too passive and did have some nervy moments. Then we dominated the game. In the second half we performed extremely well."
What’s next?
Tottenham’s next game is a must win for their players and most importantly Pochettino. They travel to the south coast on Saturday where they will face Brighton in the Premier League. Spurs’ next Champions League fixture is against Red Star Belgrade on match-day three on October 22. Bayern Munich on the other hand face Hoffenheim at home on Saturday.
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