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What might have been Tottenham Hotspur’s best chance for a trophy and to qualify for the Champions League went up in smoke on Thursday night in Zagreb. Tottenham came into the match leading 2-0 after the home leg, but gave up three goals to Croatian international Mirslav Orsic. It might have taken extra time, but Spurs found a way to lose it in the worst way possible, falling 3-0 and losing the tie 3-2. Tottenham crash out of the Europa League in the most humiliating way possible.
A 2-0 lead at home after the first leg is pretty good, but it’s not what you would call a sure thing, (as we definitively saw tonight!). Consequently, Mourinho put out a rotated, but still relatively strong team for today’s match at Zagreb, knowing that an away goal could be important. Harry Kane started the match days after the North London Derby, and Hugo Lloris retained his place in goal. Behind Kane, Dele returned to the lineup along with Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela, who’s suspension did not apply to European competition. Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks started in central midfield, while the back line consisted of Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, and Ben Davies.
Key Moments
First Half
9’ — Pretty blah opening few minutes or so. No real chances, no real urgency. Dele gets a half chance going forward but there’s not a ton going on.
22’ — Yellow card for Erik Lamela! Is that the most predictable thing to happen this match? I say yes.
26’ — Dele has some nice interplay going forward and gets a shot off that’s blocked out for a corner. The corner amounts to nothing.
32’ — Yellow card on Dinamo’s Jakic for holding back Lucas.
35’ — Ooooh, big chance for Dinamo’s Majer, who flashes a shot just wide of the post. Hugo was nowhere near it. Lucky miss for Spurs. Just after Sanchez makes an honestly pretty great clearance and Hugo has to go low to tip away a near OG.
43’ — Probably the best chance of the half for Spurs. Kane receives the ball in the box at close range and tries to power it home but it’s blocked away.
Halftime — Read any good books lately? With a few minor exceptions, it’s been a comfortably dull European football match. Honestly, up 2-0 and playing away in Croatia, I’m perfectly fine with dull.
Second Half
No subs for either side at halftime. No surprise there!
53’ — Chance for Dinamo on a corner. Orsic gets a free header on goal, forcing a save from Hugo.
58’ — Ben Davies just got beat badly in the box but the shot from Dinamo goes high and wide. Bit scary, that.
60’ — First sub for Spurs! Gareth Bale comes on, and Erik Lamela heads to the sidelines.
63’ — Goal to Dinamo. Wow. Orsic with a bender right in the top corner. Great goal. 1-0 to Dinamo, and 2-1 Spurs in aggregate.
67’ — Another sub for Spurs and it’s GIO LO CELSO! He’s back! He’s on for Dele, who takes a seat. Tanguy Ndombele also comes on for Harry Winks. Mourinho isn’t messing around now.
71’ — Gio with a shot in the box! It takes a deflection and ends up saved by the Dinamo keeper, bu that was nice, and close to the away goal Spurs need to ensure going through.
79’ — Yellow card on Dinamo’s Lauritsen.
82’ — Goal Dinamo. There it is. The equalizing goal comes from Orsic again, and it’s fully deserved. They fully carved up Spurs’ defense with some good passing. 2-2 on aggregate.
84’ — Whoa! Dinamo off the line! Kane gets a header on target from close range and it gets hooked off the line.
85’ — Sub for Spurs. Vinicius on for Lucas Moura.
90’ — Dinamo are just carving Spurs up. Three minutes of stoppage time to be played.
90+2 — Free kick to Spurs outside the box and Bale lines up to take it... and he puts it well over the bar. Drat.
FULL TIME: Who’s ready for 30 minutes of extra time? No? Well, we’re getting it anyway. Dinamo Zagreb lead 2-0, and it’s tied 2-2 on aggregate.
First Extra Time Period
A sub for Spurs at the break as Sergio Reguilon comes on for Ben Davies.
93’ — Yellow card on Dinamo for Stojanovic, after a heavy foul on Reguilon.
96’ — Oh my Dinamo almost won it, a dribbling ball from Leovac that went just wide of the post, he was also offside. Spurs look like garbage right now.
101’ — Bale takes a pop from the top of the D and drives the ball just wide of the right post. So close. (Probably should’ve passed the ball though)
HALFTIME of extra time. We’re 15 minutes away from penalties and I DON’T LIKE IT.
Second Extra Time Period
106’ — Goal Dinamo. Wow. Orsic completes his hat trick. This fucking team. 3-0 to the home side, 3-2 on aggregate.
107’ — Final roll of the dice for Mourinho. Steven Bergwijn is on for Serge Aurier.
113’ — Spurs are trying to push forward for an away goal (and that would be a winner). It isn’t happening.
115’ — Snap shot by Bale but it’s well saved by the Dinamo keeper.... and then Kane has another shot saved! HOWWWWWWWW
118’ — Spurs pushing forward but Eric Dier commits a foul and now Dinamo are taking the air out of the ball.
120’ — Dinamo through on goal after Davinson got roasted, but Hugo rushes out to nick the ball of the player’s feet.
FULL TIME: That’s it. Spurs crash out of the Europa League. Final score 3-0 to Dinamo, they take the tie 3-2.
Reactions
- That was extremely dull and boring until it wasn’t.
- Dinamo isn’t a very good side, but they just blew through the Winkssoko midfield for as long as it was out there. It took the subbing on of Lo Celso and Ndombele for Spurs to wake up... and then they conceded another goal!
- Sissoko was absolutely diabolical out there. Lost his man for Dinamo’s first goal, looked helpless in midfield for much of the rest of the match.
- This Tottenham team looked like it had never played together before. They couldn’t even keep the ball and the passing was atrocious. They deserved to lose.
- I could go into a lot more detail, but frankly, I’m both disgusted and amused by how this all played out, so I won’t bother.
- Leave Jose Mourinho in Zagreb. He has to go. Now. It’s not working, it’ll never work. I’m done. He’s done. Sack him tonight and rip off the band-aid.