BRITTANY FEARS
Nuno gets toxic after Tottenham given major fright by the French
ON a torrid night here in Brittany, Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo almost went toxic.
Nuno’s team were lucky to get away with a point against a team who languish in 11th spot in French Ligue 1.
Yet they had been given a perfect start when Loic Bade turned a Lucas Moura cross into his own net in the 11th minute. Oops! What a pity he didn’t do it again.
Nuno had told his team that nights of Champions League heroics were in Tottenham’s past – on this evidence they aren’t in Tottenham’s future.
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Hojbjerg’s late strike saved the day in their opening Group G contest in a game that went dangerously astray after Bade’s early own goal.
Nuno, who saw his team’s good start to the season come to a shuddering halt with defeat at Crystal Palace at the weekend, had warned his players not to take this competition lightly. But the warning clearly was not heeded.
The Portuguese admitted: “It was not perfect. We scored but then we lost control. Rennes are a good team and they caused us problems.
“We showed character and belief to change the result after we conceded. This will make us stronger for the future.”
Nuno selected a strong side but injuries to Steven Bergwijn Moura will worry him ahead of Sunday’s clash with title-chasing Chelsea. “It feels painful,” added Nuno. Heungmin Son is facing a race against time to recover from a calf injury and Giovani Lo Celso does not get back from his quarantine camp in Croatia until Saturday, leaving Nuno facing big problems.
Spurs got off to exactly the start they would have wanted thanks to a large slice of luck.
Moura fired in a low cross after good work by Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Kane and the ball took a deflection off Bade to fly into the net.
But the French side were not on their heels for long and Benjamin Bourigeaud saw his angled shot well stopped by Pierluigi Gollini.
Spurs were struggling to contain Rennes and, after Flavien Tait played a neat giveand and-go with the troublesome Serhou Guirassy, he was able to guide his drive expertly into the far corner of Gollini’s net.
Nuno’s team were lucky not to fall behind at a raucous Roazhon Park just before halftime when Kamaldeen Sulemana put his diving header wide from only six yards out.
Substitute Hojbjerg wasted a good chance to put Spurs ahead, but it was Rennes who looked the more dangerous. And when Sulemana’s shot was palmed out by Gollini, Gaetan Laborde stabbed home.
An embarrassing defeat looked on the cards but, when Matt Doherty’s cross was deflected into his path just five minutes later, Hojbjerg coolly slid the ball home.
Phew!