Spurs 1-0 Villarreal: Own goal seals narrow victory as Spurs begin Champions League campaign | OneFootball

A calamitous fourth-minute mistake by Keeper Luiz Júnior helped Tottenham Hotspur get off to a winning start in the Champions League group stage in Thomas Frank’s first outing in a European competition.

As it happened

Before the game could even really begin, Spurs were gifted a dream start when Villarreal keeper Luiz Júnior inexplicably bundled a Lucas Bergvall cross into his own net. Despite such an early brake in Frank’s first outing as a Champions League manager, Spurs seemed to let the game get away from them as the half progressed.

The Villarreal pressure almost came to a head when ex-Arsenal forward Nicolas Pépé had a curling effort blocked by the everpresent Micky van de Ven. Frank’s side were tested again moments later when Tajon Buchanan quite remarkably dragged a shot wide from a golden opportunity.

Spurs came back into the game after a spell of Villarreal pressure however, Pape Matar Sarr’s driving effort was kept out by a Luiz Júnior looking for vindication after his earlier error.

In the second half, Spurs’ defensive discipline was tested yet again, as the Yellow Submarine continued to pile on the pressure. Cristian Romero and Van De Ven were excellent in nullifying the ex-Premier League front line of Ayoze Pérez and Pépé. Frank will be disappointed with the sloppiness in midfield at times however; Spurs suffered turnover after turnover as the game headed towards the full time whistle.

Richarlison missed a great chance at the end as his header went wayward, but ultimately Spurs were able to grind out the result they needed to kickstart their first Champions League campaign in three years.

Despite being gifted a goal in the opening minutes amid a raucous atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs will be left feeling slightly disappointed in the fact they failed to really kick on from such a promising start. Their performance was at the best of times controlled and at the worst of times laboured.

Frank’s side struggled to break from the press of their Spanish guests at times as they fell victim to countless sloppy passes, however they utilised their defensive strength in Romero and Van De Ven to limit Villarreal to a handful of chances. Rodrigo Bentancur was a stalwart at times, making sure Spurs were able to relieve some pressure during the heigh of Villarreal’s dominance.

Despite not playing to the standards already set by their new manager, Spurs came away from the game with the most important thing. Their three points means they are are unbeaten in 21 home games in UEFA competitions. New wingers Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus looked dangerous on the break, something we’ve already seen in their league outings.

Spurs will look to improve as their campaign in Europe goes on. The blueprint is there for success and if they can get wins playing blow standard, that can only be a positive sign.

The lineups

TOT: Vicario; Porro, Van De Ven, Romero, Spence; Bentancur, Bergvall, Sarr; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons

VIL: Luiz Júnior; Mouriño, Foyth, Veiga, Cardona; Pépé , Comesaña, Gueye, Buchanan; Pérez, Mikautadze