DIM AND DUMBER
In the city famous for lightbulbs, Lloris saw red and Spurs fell apart in 10 crazy minutes as Euro dream turned dark
IN a city famous for lightbulbs, Tottenham saw their Champions League hopes plunged into darkness.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men had looked on the way to securing the victory they needed to keep alive their hopes in Group B – thanks to goals from Lucas Moura and Harry Kane.
But a crazy moment 11 minutes from the end tilted the momentum back in the home side’s favour.
Hirving Lozano, scorer of PSV’s opening goal, was sent clear of the Spurs defence. Hugo Lloris dashed out of his box to try and intercept, but Lozano got to the ball first and was cleaned out by the Frenchman.
Ref Slavko Vincic sent off Lloris (right) and reduced the visitors to 10 men. Michel Vorm replaced the Spurs captain and came to the rescue right away as he pulled off a brilliant save from Luuk de Jong’s free kick.
But with just three minutes left, another free kick was not cleared properly, Pablo Rosario fired the ball back in – and De Jong stabbed it past Vorm and into the net. Spurs now face the Dutchmen in their next game at Wembley in two weeks but, even if they win that, they will have to beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp, win against Inter Milan, and hope other results fall for them. Their hopes hang by a thread.
PSV – the team formed by the famous Philips electronic company – went into the match as just about the most inform team in Europe, having won all nine of their Eredivisie games to top the table.
It was a different story in this tournament, though, where they were thrashed by Barcelona, and beaten at home by Inter Milan.
The stakes were as high as they could be. Since the format of the competition changed in 2004, of 41 teams with zero points after three group games – none had recovered to qualify.
The Dutch side, backed by a raucous crowd inside the Philips Stadion, tore into Spurs from the start. Jorrit Hendrix firing a free kick over as PSV pressed.
But it looked as though Spurs had ridden the storm, as Kane first saw his shot on the turn deflected over the bar – and then hit the angle with a header.
Though Gaston Pereiro’s free kick flew just wide, Spurs seemed in control as Mousa Dembele ran the midfield. But then disaster struck.
Toby Alderweireld dwelt too long on Davinson Sanchez’s pass, and Lozano pounced. The Mexican raced away and though the Spurs defender got back to challenge, the PSV striker’s shot looped up off his outstretched leg, over keeper Lloris and into the net.
It was a horrific error – and Spurs had to restore order fast. They thought they had done so when Sanchez fired in from six yards, but Kane was offside.
Their equaliser arrived six minutes before the break. Christian Eriksen, back in the side after a month on the sidelines injured, found Kieran Trippier once again free on the right. The full-back crossed low and Moura shot first time, to see his shot take a deflection off Nick Viergever and fly into the net. Relief all round. But then more sloppiness almost handed PSV another goal, as Pereiro was given too much room, but saw his shot come back off the bar.
It was another warning. And Spurs proved they had heeded it as Eriksen broke through and forced a brilliant one-handed save out of Jeroen Zoet.
Two minutes later Spurs’ class told again. Eriksen exchanged passes with Heung-Min Son and slipped a lovely cross to the far post, where Kane, unmarked, headed comfortably home.
The Spurs striker could have had another as he met Trippier’s accurate free kick with another downward header, but this time Zoet scrambled the ball away with his feet.
And then as substitute Erik Lamela found space on the right as the Dutch pressed, the Argentine wriggled a yard of space, only to see his vicious rising shot come back off the bar.
They paid the price for those missed chances three minutes from time.