B DORTMUND 1 TOTTENHAM 2
TOTTENHAM were confirmed as Group H winners after Harry Kane and Son HeungMin completed a comeback at Borussia Dortmund. Spurs top the group based on head-to-head results against Real Madrid.
TOTTENHAM fans greeted their side’s turnaround win here with a chant of “Are you watching Arsenal?” after Harry Kane and Son HeungMin guaranteed top spot in Group H.
Who cares if you are behind your local rivals over 90 minutes in the Premier League, seemed to be the message, when you finish above Real Madrid in the Champions League after six games.
Kane’s sixth Champions League goal means that Cristiano Ronaldo is the only man in front of him in the hunt for the golden boot and leaves him just four short of the half-century he has set his sights on in 2017 for both club and country.
Despite falling behind, the win was no more than Mauricio Pochettino’s side deserved and they showed that a minor setback such as the loss to Arsenal cannot disguise how far they have come in recent years.
It was just 20 months ago that Spurs left here with their tails between their legs, staring at an exit from the last 16 of the Europa League following a 3-0 first leg defeat. It had been an education.
One which, in fairness, the club has learned from. Only Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris from the 11 on the pitch at the final whistle in March 2016 were among the starters last night, but it was not just the faces that had changed, it was the whole attitude.
Tottenham had already qualified for the knockout stages and had looked every bit the part in doing so. Now the only thing up for grabs was whether they could top a group that included Real Madrid.
A surprisingly strong lineup started brightly and within the opening minutes Son was put through by Dele Alli with Dan-Axel Zagadou having to scurry back to prevent the South Korea international from adding to an impressive tally of seven goals in nine games against Dortmund playing for Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Spurs.
Dortmund are in a poor run of form and striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was suspended by the club for the game at the weekend for his attitude towards training.
In the 19th minute, he should have announced his return after a clever chip from Andriy Yarmolenko but scuffed a poor shot wide.
Aubameyang is not one to stay quiet for long and when he was put through just after the half-hour, he finished in business-like fashion and his celebration – rather pointedly – was no more animated.
Tottenham rallied and Roman Burki in the Dortmund goal twice pulled off world-class saves to keep the Germans in front going into the break.
Then just as it seemed that despite the bitter breeze, Kane had reverted to August non-scoring mode, the Tottenham striker scored his first goal for 30 days.
Danny Rose won possession, Alli switched the ball inside and it was a relatively perfunctory strike that beat Burki in the end.
Tottenham were the ones pressing now and it was Alli who turned the game around completely.
After his disappointing show in the north London derby, in the 76th minute he was at his quicksilver best, teeing up Son to break Dortmund hearts yet again.
In the closing moments Dortmund keeper Burki was carried off after a collison with Fernando Llorente.