UCL: Spurs lose in Lisbon
Sporting CP 2-0 Spurs
Tottenham suffered our first defeat of the season at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday.
Two late goals gave Sporting Lisbon all three points on matchday two in the UEFA Champions League.
In an even and entertaining affair, it looked like the Premier League side was going to leave the Portuguese capital with a share of the spoils having matched the hosts for the majority of the game, only to concede in the 90th minute from a Paulinho header before Arthur Gomes slotted home with virtually the last kick of the game. Both goals came from Sporting substitutes.
Picture credit - Mutsu KAWAMORI | Flickr
Both sides started on the front foot wherever possible, Sporting with the first sight of goal on seven minutes when Hugo Lloris pushed a Pedro Goncalves angled shot just past the post.
Brazilian duo Richarlison and Emerson Royal had half-chances but neither could get a telling touch on balls into the box and home goalkeeper Adan was able to gather on each occasion before Richarlison had the ball in the net on 42 minutes but was offside.
Former Spur Marcus Edwards had a glorious chance in first-half stoppage time, going on a mazy run past three defenders, playing a one-two with Francisco Trincao and poking goalwards but Lloris somehow saved, the ball squirting past the post for a corner.
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— Sporting CP English (@SportingCP_en) September 13, 2022
⚽ Paulinho, @oarthurgomes
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Spurs were quickly into our stride after the break with Royal twice denied in quick succession by Adan, who then kept out Kane’s drive that was heading for the top corner before Richarlison curled a yard wide. At the other end, Lloris had to watch Goncalves’ 22-yard effort into his gloves.
The drama all came in the closing minutes. First, Lloris made a stunning save to deny Pedro Porro’s curling effort but, from the corner, Paulinho climbed highest to head home. And they barely had time to respond when Gomes drifted in off the left flank, cut inside Royal and fired past Lloris to leave us on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline.
What went wrong for Tottenham?
Speaking to the media, Antonio Conte said: “The game in the first half was in the balance. In the second half, we tried to push and we had good chances to score. Then, in the end, we are talking about a loss.
“We conceded a goal from a corner and, for sure, we can do much better, Then we conceded another goal two minutes later. We have to work on all of these aspects because the level of the Champions League is an important level, and we have to try to improve because every game is very difficult. The game against Marseille was difficult. The same today. For sure, at the end, we didn’t deserve to win, but at the same time, we didn’t deserve to lose."
Highlights
You can watch the highlights in the video below. Footage from BT Sport - YouTube
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