phew
Tottenham reach Champions League knockout stages and top group with last kick of the game after huge scare at Marseille as ex-Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac fluffs lines – ‘It’s harder to miss!’
Tottenham can breathe a huge sigh of relief after reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 2-1 comeback victory at Marseille.
Spurs defender Clement Lenglet cancelled out Marseille full-back Chancel Mbemba's opener and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struck with the last kick of the game to secure top spot in Group D.
5
5
Needing a draw to go through, a seriously lacklustre first-half display had Spurs heading out of the competition after Mbemba's header moments before the break.
And even after Lenglet's equaliser, Antonio Conte's side were let off the hook when ex-Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac missed from point-blank range in the dying moments, with the game level.
Reacting on talkSPORT, Andy Townsend said: "He's three yards out, it's harder to miss than score! It's an incredible chance."
A stunning breakaway goal from Hojbjerg in the last minute of stoppage-time added insult to injury for Marseille, who subsequently moved from third to fourth in the group and missed out on the Europa League.
Tottenham, meanwhile, leapfrogged Eintracht Frankfurt and secured a place in the Europa League for Sporting Lisbon on a truly rollercoaster night.
Each team in Group D was heading through at one point on Tuesday night and it had looked like another one to forget for Spurs.
5
Most read in Football
With Conte in the stands serving a touchline ban, Tottenham could not get out of their own-half and lost Heung-min Son to a head injury.
Speaking at half-time, Townsend said: "Tottenham have gone about it in exactly the wrong fashion. From the first minute they've been passive.
"They've thought just because they get everyone behind the ball… they've offered nothing as an attacking force."
Spurs improved in the second-half, deserved their equaliser and created enough chances to earn three points.
5
"I much prefer this Spurs team," Townsend said in the second-half.
"It's one which wants to go after the opposition. They're not good enough to do what they did in the first half. This is so much better."
But Tottenham were still forced to survive mounting Marseille pressure as they protected a point which would've secured second place.
The big chance for the Ligue 1 side came via substitute Kolasinac, who fluffed his lines and disappointed Arsenal fans everywhere.
5
With ex-Gunners Alexis Sanchez, Matteo Guendouzi and loanee Nuno Tavares also on the pitch, Spurs fans would have feared getting dumped out by somebody connected to their arch rivals.
And Marseille manager Igor Tudor's face summed it up as ex-Arsenal full-back Kolasinac missed from three yards out.
In the blink of an eye, Hojbjerg ran up the other end and scored a stunning goal from the edge of the box, sending the French side to their knees and possibly giving Spurs a more favourable last-16 opponent as group winners.
Topics