MADE IN ENGLAND
Alli at the double as hot Spurs rock Real
MAURICIO POCHETTINO declared that Tottenham belong among the best teams in the world after they beat Real Madrid for the first time in spectacular fashion.
England’s Dele Alli inspired the win with two goals, while Harry Kane returned from injury and Harry Winks and Kieran Trippier also starred in front of England boss Gareth Southgate. Christian Eriksen added the third Spurs goal before a glum Cristiano Ronaldo netted a late consolation for the European champions.
Victory secured Tottenham’s place in the knockout stages and Pochettino said: ‘We’re able to compete now with the biggest teams on a physical and
mental level and this is preparing us very well for what’s coming in the future and to achieve our goals. ‘Those goals are to win big competitions. This is what we dream of. If we get there this year, that remains to be seen, but we’re certainly moving in the right direction. ‘What’s important is that we’re in the next round. We’re growing in confidence, we’re starting to believe in our potential and in our qualities.’ Alli, 21, has been criticised this season for sometimes failing to reach the sky-high standards he set himself last year. But his two goals last night proved his credentials against the world’s best and he could have completed a hat-trick had he not squandered a simple headed chance near the end. Pochettino added: ‘It was a fantastic opportunity against Real Madrid at Wembley, Dele’s debut in this season’s competition. ‘It was a big motivation for him to play and then he scored twice, but he should have scored a hat-trick in the second half. It’s fantastic to feel that it’s coming, to feel that he’s getting better everyday. ‘We need him at his best to help the team achieve the things we want to achieve.’ Alli took it all in his stride and insisted he was not surprised that Spurs dominated the Spanish giants after their 1-1 draw in the Bernabeu a fortnight ago. ‘At their place we couldn’t believe how much space we had at times,’ he said. ‘We said that sometimes the easiest pass looked too obvious and we were being a bit sloppy. ‘We knew if we were solid at the back that we would get chances. With the team we’ve got, we don’t just want to be competing against these teams, we want to be winning.’