Spurs wow fans, earn a victory over PSG
Both teams wanted to put on a show for their fans in the United States, the ones who maybe never will get a chance to see them play in Paris or London.
Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain did not disappoint those jumping, cheering fans who filled the lower levels of Camping World Stadium on Saturday night as the two top European clubs battled in a preseason match.
The Spurs ultimately came out 4-2 winners in the high-scoring match that was part of the fifth annual International Champions Cup tournament played this year in the U.S., China and Singapore.
“It was very good for us,” Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino said in a postgame press conference. “Very positive things to take from today. The most important thing is to get a good feeling in preseason and be fit.”
The announced crowd of 33,332 people included Orlando City captain Kaká.
The game changed about 20 seconds into the second half, when referee Ted Unkel pulled out a red card for PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who committed a foul on Spurs’ Harry Kane just outside the box. PSG was forced to finish the match with 10 men.
Forward Gonçalo Guedes came off to make room for Alphonse Areola to replace Trapp in goal. Areola immediately saved the free kick awarded to Tottenham for the foul.
Though PSG held off Tottenham for a while, the Spurs attack broke through in the final 10 minutes of the game. First, Toby Alderweireld scored from a distance in the 82nd minute for a 3-2 lead. Then in the 88th minute, Kane converted a penalty kick to finish the game.
“The situation with the red card, it was difficult ... but it’s something that can happen in football,” PSG coach Unai Emery said through a translator after the match. “It is a preseason game for us, so we’re still looking for identity and it was important to get the team minutes. The most important thing for us is to prepare ourselves for the [French] Super Cup final next Saturday against Monaco. It does give us conclusions on things we can maybe improve on, and it was important work in today’s game.”
PSG started the scoring when Adrien Rabiot crossed to Edinson Cavani for a quick goal and a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute.
Five minutes later, Christian Eriksen lofted a long ball over the heads of defenders and into the top right corner of the net to pull the Spurs even. They pulled ahead shortly after when Eric Dier blocked a clearance attempt by Trapp, and the ball bounced back into the goal for a 2-1 Tottenham advantage.
With less than 10 minutes to go in the second half, PSG midfielder Javier Pastore maneuvered around defenders in the center of the box to find a clear shot, which he flicked into the upper right corner of the net to make the score 2-2 entering halftime.
United States under-20 national team player Cameron Carter-Vickers started at centerback for Tottenham, helping to hold off a PSG attack that still looked dangerous at times despite being down a man.
Emery said he was impressed by Carter-Vickers and it will be up to him to prove he deserves time with the first team this season when it begins competition in the Premier League.