Thursday February 14, 2013 Last 32 Finished White Hart Lane
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Europa League - Bale brilliance gives Spurs advantage
Gareth Bale hit a last-gasp winner to give Tottenham Hotspur a 2-1 victory over Lyon at White Hart Lane in the Europa League. More
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Live Commentary
Time:90'- Tottenham Hotspur
- Olympique Lyon
90+3 The replay shows it took a slight deflection - so not as good as the first one. Anyway, Spurs have won 2-1 thanks to the best player in the Premier League. The return league is next week at Stade Gerland.
90+3 Bale will take this obviously - it's a touch to the right of the D so it's perfect for a lefty! The crowd falls silent... AND BALE HAS DONE IT! INCREDIBLE GOAL, CURLS INTO THE TOP LEFT!- 90+2 Bale draws a foul from Fofana a few yards from the D! Chance for Bale here...
90+2 SPURS SUB: Livermore comes on for Parker. Odd change at this moment.- 90+1 Bale has the ball on the edge of the box, he has no support and defenders around him to runs it to the right. A dummy run from Walker allows him to cut inside and fire a superb shot that Vercoutre punches away!
- 90' Three minutes added time being played.
89' Great cross from Bale that zips low across the six yard box but Holtby can't get there and it bounces away!- 88' LYON SUB: Lisandro is replaced by youngster Ghezzal.
- 87' Free-kick to Lyon on the left then which Grenier swings in, but a boot from Sigurdsson does the trick.
- 86' Looks like he landed on his tailbone. Once he gets over the shock he'll be fine.
- 85' Umtiti is down looking very pained, rolling about after a heavy fall following a header.
- 84' Walker is still looking lively though but his low cross ricochets off a few defenders and clear.
- 83' LYON SUB: Malbranque is replaced by Grenier. Applause from the Spurs fans too.
- 83' Groans as even Bale gets in on the act of poor play, mis-hitting a pass intended for Holtby.
- 82' Dembele finds Sigurdsson on the right but the Icelander's ball is poor. Spurs toiling now.
- 81' Walker cuts inside from the right but he underhits his pass to Assou-Ekotto. Vertonghen prevents the counter with a block and Lyon are backtracking until Lovren plays it long.
80' Holtby is tripped by Fofana, who is booked, meaning the ref calls play back after the German took the free-kick quickly.- 79' SPURS SUB: Lennon is indeed taken off, with Sigurdsson coming on.
- 78' Holtby almost sends Bale through but his dipping ball dips a touch too late and goes out for a goal kick.
- 77' Taken short and Spurs work it to the right but Lennon somewhat lazily lets a through-ball run under his foot and out for a throw. He looks tired now.
- 76' Spurs have a free-kick on the left after Gonalons fouls Bale. Assou-Ekotto takes it too quickly.
- 75' Poor pass from Walker goes beyond Lennon and out for a throw. Frustrating.
- 73' Lyon double up on Holtby, who then fouls Gonalons, who makes a meal of it. Holtby almost loses his head with the gamesmanship.
- 72' Lyon are knocking it about nicely now. Spurs need to get more of the ball.
- 71' Walker with a great ball across the box after fine work from Holtby, flicked away brilliantly by a sliding Lovren with Adebayor set to pounce and hacked behind for a corner by Reveiilere.
- 70' The free-kick trickles harmlessly wide as Gonalons's flick on is put well wide by Lovren.
- 69' Gomis goes down holding his man-pack with a roar of intense pain. He's ok. Free-kick Lyon on the right...
- 68' SPURS SUB: Holtby comes on for Dempsey. Less direct, more touches on the ball.
- 67' Bale trips Gonalons on the Lyon right but it's deep in their half so no problems.
- 66' Good long pass by Assou-Ekotto but Gallas miscontrols it after popping up on the right wing.
- 65' Walker with the corner but headed away by Lacazette. Back in for Spurs as Walker on the right cuts it back to Bale, he shoots but blocked, and it drops again to BALE WITH THE SHOT but punched away by Vercoutre!
- 64' Lovren with a perfectly-timed slide tackle on Dempsey as the American raced in down the right. Corner.
- 63' The corner is poor, low to the near post and Spurs have a goal kick.
- 62' GREAT SAVE FRIEDEL! Lacazette with a mazy run inside from the right and a fierce drive that the 41-year-old American tips over.
- 60' Lyon seem boosted by that goal and are coming at Spurs in waves.
- 58' This time Umtiti's boot lets him down as he sends a wild cross out of play.
- 57' That's changed the face of the game now. Lyon are going for Spurs, with 19-year-old Umtiti being given the ball whenever he wants.
- 56' It was actually a great defensive header from Gallas to divery Malbranque's cross away from Gomis, but what a goal. Remi Garde, a Gooner of course, celebrates a la Mourinho.
- 55' WHAT A GOAL BY UMTITI! Fantastic rising drive from the left wing that flew into the top left! From miles out, excellent strike!
- 54' Lisandro almost talks his way into the book after that. Not sure how he feels he was in a position to tell any better than the ref - he was on the other side of the pitch!
- 53' Lacazette thinks he has been fouled by Assou-Ekotto as he falls while trying to head in Lisandro's cross, but there was no contact for me.
- 52' Lennon in full flight, Dempsey goes down ahead of him but no foul says the ref as Gonalons eases Lennon off the ball.
- 51' Great challenge by Vertonghen on Reveillere after the France full-back got in behind Assou-Ekotto.
- 50' Gomis cuts inside from the left and he tries a low drive which is deflected off Vertonghen and is easy for Friedel.
- 49' Walker is now tripped by Gonalons as he led a counter attack. That was probably worth a booking.
- 48' The ref harshly books Walker after Umtiti flings himself to the ground. A dive, although Walker raised a boot. There was no contact and the dive was very late.
- 47' Long ball from Vertonghen but beyond Lennon and Lyon clear.
- 46' Spurs almost get in from kick-off but there's an offside, I think on Bale, after Dempsey's flick.
46' The second half is underway!- 45+1 That was a ridiculous free-kick - exactly like a Ronaldo special, rising and dipping wickedly, bouncing almost on the line. Wow. Half-time and Bale leads Lyon 1-0.
- 45+1 WHAT A GOAL BY GARETH BALE! He's scored with a free-kick from 35 yards! Eat your heart out Cristiano Ronaldo!
- 45' Dempsey is tripped in midfield by Lacazette and Spurs have a half-ending free-kick around 35 yards out.
- 44' Malbranque trudges off for some more treatment, he's walking so it does seem to just be a bruise. Meanwhile Bisevac again does well to hook it away from Adebayor.
43' The replay shows Malbranque clashed knees with Adebayor after rounding him, he carried on to play the pass but then broke down. Just a knock by the looks of things.- 42' Malbranque nutmegs Adebayor and feeds Gomis but Gallas hacks clear. Malbranque has gone down off the ball, not sure what happened but he seemed to be continuing his run after the initial pass.
- 41' Spurs knocking it about nicely now but Fofana with a good interception and Lyon clear.
- 39' Gomis fires one well wide after good work from Malbranque in the build-up.
- 38' Adebayor is again flagged offside after a Bale header but he looked level to me!
- 37' WHAT A MISS BALE! He misses an open goal after a fantastic run and low cross from Walker down the right. He was completely unmarked from the edge of the six-yard box but put wide. Deary me.
- 36' Walker gets in a bit of trouble on the right but Gonalons fouls Lennon and Spurs have it back.
- 35' Bale with a good flick on to release Adebayor, but the flag goes up late and Lovren intervened with a fantastic slide tackle anyway.
- 34' Finally a decent spell of possession for Lyon but Lisandro's through-ball to Gomis is poor, behind for a goal kick.
- 32' Actually it was a throw by the corner flag, which Reveillere takes. In the end Lacazette can only put it out and Spurs have the throw. Yes, this is a scrappy phase.
- 31' Malbranque will take this one but Bale rises highest to head clear. Lacazette has it back on the right though and again his cross is blocked for a corner, by Bale this time.
- 30' Lacazette wins a corner for Lyon on the right after a low driven cross is blocked.
- 29' Good defending by Assou-Ekotto to find touch under pressure from Gomis. Tackles now fly in from both sides but Spurs clear upfield.
- 28' A long throw from Assout-Ekotto finds Dempsey on the left, he holds it up for Bale but the Wales winger mis-hits his shot straight at Vercoutre.
- 27' Spurs suddenly spark into life as they hem Lyon back into their final third.
- 26' JUST WIDE BY ADEBAYOR! Fine through ball from Lennon to the Togo man on the run, and he hammers a first-time shot just wide! Sliced it somewhat.
- 25' The Spurs full-back seems to be okay and trots off the pitch for the formalities of his return.
- 24' Assou-Ekotto is down with an injury and needs on-pitch treatment. Knee it seems.
- 23' Bit scrappy in the middle of the park as neither side manages to string their passes together.
- 22' Lyon break from that move and Gomis runs at the vacant Spurs defence but, with little support and the likes of Vertonghen tracking back, he elects to shoot and it is blocked. Throw to Lyon on the right.
- 21' Bale will take the free-kick from the right. The ref has a word with some jostling players first... Good ball by Bale but Lovren rises highest to head clear.
- 20' Lyon cleared that corner more effectively than the last but Lennon comes at them again and is fouled by Umtiti, who is booked.
- 19' The corner flies all the way through to the left where Assou-Ekotto picks it up. Now Gallas has it on the right and he wins a corner off Umtiti.
- 18' Spurs holding on to the ball well now as Lennon flies in down the right but Umtiti gets back to tackle. Corner.
- 17' Spurs break as Lennon finds Walker on the overlap, but his low cross is hoofed away by Bisevac before Adebayor can pounce.
- 16' Vertonghen, lucky not to concede a penalty, does well this time to put behind for a corner, which ex-Spurs man Malbranque will take. Good ball too and Lovren flies in at the far post but directs his header too close to Friedel!
- 15' Fofana with a fine pass wide to Gomis, who cuts inside past Vertonghen, who appears to trip him but the ref ignores the appeals! Looked a foul to me!
- 14' Bale cuts inside from the left but shows too much of it to Lisandro, who tackles and retrieves the ball for Lyon.
- 13' Poor pass from Lisandro aimed wide for Lacazette, well beyond him and out for a throw.
- 12' Fofana takes matters into his own hands with a long-range effort that, had it not continued to rise, could have caused Friedel problems. As it happened, the ball went well over.
- 11' A lull in play after that frantic opening as neither side really gets any sort of passing move together,
- 9' Walker with a high cross aimed to Bale at the far post, he peels off Reveillere and attempts a spectacular volley, which he gets all wrong to send miles over. He has scored with those before!
- 8' Lennon finds space on the right but fails to get the cross awa as the left-back closes him down.
- 7' Gomes gets a touch on the ball but can't find Lisandro. Spurs were after Gomis in January.
- 5' Bale's short corner routine, a give and go, does not come off and Lyon have a goal kick.
- 4' Dempsey and Assou-Ekotto combine down the left, the full-back getting into space and drilling a low cross aimed back for Dempsey but Reveillere hacks it behind for a corner. Could have been an own-goal!
- 3' The ball is sent high to the far post, so high that Dempsey has to shove Bisevac to get to it, with the ref calling a foul.
- 2' Early free-kick to Spurs on the right, the defenders come up for it with Walker over it...
1' The first half is underway!- 20:00 William Hill's odds have shortened from 4/5 to 5/6 on a Spurs win in the past few hours, with Lyon sat at 7/2 and the draw longer at 12/5.
- 19:55 FACTS: Lyonnais have won just one of their last nine fixtures against English sides (in all competitions), losing three. The French giants have lost five of their eight previous trips to England (W2 D1). Only Bordeaux (six) scored more goals in the opening 30 minutes of Europa League group stage matches than Lyon (five).
- 19:50 FACTS: Spurs are unbeaten in their last three matches against French opposition (W2 D1) although, they last played a side from France in 1971. Emmanuel Adebayor has scored five goals in his last five starts in the Europa League.
- - Tottenham and Lyon previously met in the second round of the 1967/68 Cup Winners Cup. The tie ended 4-4 on aggregate with Lyon progressing on away goals.
- 19:45 Remi Garde: "Of course, not everything is idyllic (in England) but there are no cheats. The athletic dimension is essential. It is even a trademark. And people cheer for a tackle. I saw Tony Adams cheered by Highbury when he kicked it into touch."
- 19:40 Andre Villas-Boas: "This could be a test of whether we're good enough to play in the Champions League. I think we've been handed the most difficult draw of this knock-out phase. This is like a Champions League tie. Lyon represent a club with tremendous Champions League experience in recent years. It will be a good test for Tottenham. It's always going to be a learning experience for us and I think it can serve that purpose towards the future, that's for sure."
- 19:35 Again as expected, Lyon boss Remi Garde - a former Arsenal player - has started with Bafetimbi Gomis alongside Lisandro as he looks for an away goal. Former Spurs midfielder Steed Malbranque starts for Lyon, he signed for the club after resurrecting his career with St Etienne.
- 19:30 As expected, Friedel starts in Europe as Llois is the no.1 in the league, even if it is against his former club. Spurs are full strength, although even if he is a new signing I would have started with Holtby, who is on the bench. Jermain Defoe is ruled out with an ankle injury. Long-term absentees Sandro and Younes Kaboul remain sidelined, but the latter should be available again in two weeks' time.
- 19:25 TEAMS - Spurs: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto, Dembele, Parker, Lennon, Bale, Dempsey, Adebayor; Subs: Lloris, Naughton, Dawson, Caulker, Livermore, Holtby, Sigurdsson /// Lyon: Vercoutre, Lovren, Fofana, Reveillere, Bisevac, Umtiti, Lacazette, Malbranque, Gonalons, Lisandro, Gomis; Subs: Lopes, Kone, Dabo, Grenier, Ferri, Ghezzal, Benzia
- 19:20 Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Tottenham Hotspur and Lyon's Europa League last 32 clash at White Hart Lane.
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Summary
- 90+3 Bale will take this obviously - it's a touch to the right of the D so it's perfect for a lefty! The crowd falls silent... AND BALE HAS DONE IT! INCREDIBLE GOAL, CURLS INTO THE TOP LEFT!
- 89' Great cross from Bale that zips low across the six yard box but Holtby can't get there and it bounces away!
- 65' Walker with the corner but headed away by Lacazette. Back in for Spurs as Walker on the right cuts it back to Bale, he shoots but blocked, and it drops again to BALE WITH THE SHOT but punched away by Vercoutre!
- 62' GREAT SAVE FRIEDEL! Lacazette with a mazy run inside from the right and a fierce drive that the 41-year-old American tips over.
- 55' WHAT A GOAL BY UMTITI! Fantastic rising drive from the left wing that flew into the top left! From miles out, excellent strike!
- 53' Lacazette thinks he has been fouled by Assou-Ekotto as he falls while trying to head in Lisandro's cross, but there was no contact for me.
- 45+1 WHAT A GOAL BY GARETH BALE! He's scored with a free-kick from 35 yards! Eat your heart out Cristiano Ronaldo!
- 37' WHAT A MISS BALE! He misses an open goal after a fantastic run and low cross from Walker down the right. He was completely unmarked from the edge of the six-yard box but put wide. Deary me.
- 26' JUST WIDE BY ADEBAYOR! Fine through ball from Lennon to the Togo man on the run, and he hammers a first-time shot just wide! Sliced it somewhat.
- 17' Spurs break as Lennon finds Walker on the overlap, but his low cross is hoofed away by Bisevac before Adebayor can pounce.
- 16' Vertonghen, lucky not to concede a penalty, does well this time to put behind for a corner, which ex-Spurs man Malbranque will take. Good ball too and Lovren flies in at the far post but directs his header too close to Friedel!
- 15' Fofana with a fine pass wide to Gomis, who cuts inside past Vertonghen, who appears to trip him but the ref ignores the appeals! Looked a foul to me!
- 9' Walker with a high cross aimed to Bale at the far post, he peels off Reveillere and attempts a spectacular volley, which he gets all wrong to send miles over. He has scored with those before!
- 4' Dempsey and Assou-Ekotto combine down the left, the full-back getting into space and drilling a low cross aimed back for Dempsey but Reveillere hacks it behind for a corner. Could have been an own-goal!
- 19:25 TEAMS - Spurs: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto, Dembele, Parker, Lennon, Bale, Dempsey, Adebayor; Subs: Lloris, Naughton, Dawson, Caulker, Livermore, Holtby, Sigurdsson /// Lyon: Vercoutre, Lovren, Fofana, Reveillere, Bisevac, Umtiti, Lacazette, Malbranque, Gonalons, Lisandro, Gomis; Subs: Lopes, Kone, Dabo, Grenier, Ferri, Ghezzal, Benzia
Team Line-up & Ratings
Tottenham HotspurManager: André Villas-Boas
Olympique LyonManager: Rémi Garde
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Line-up
Live Team Line-Up
Starting line-up
- B. Friedel
- K. Walker
- W. Gallas
- J. Vertonghen
- B. Assou-Ekotto
- M. Dembélé
- S. Parker
- A. Lennon
- C. Dempsey
- G. Bale
×2 - E. Adebayor
Subs
Starting line-up
- R. Vercoutre
- A. Réveillère
- D. Lovren
- M. Biševac
- S. Umtiti
- S. Malbranque
- G. Fofana
- M. Gonalons
- A. Lacazette
- L. López
- B. Gomis
Subs
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Rate Players
67′ "Thanks to the best player in the Premier League" is this guy a #$%$ Spurs fan or what???
He may have scored two fantastic free kicks but that doesn't make him the best player in the PL!
Ella, I'm a Spurs fan through & through. I was just wondering if you had ever heard of any the following? D. Beckham, P. Scholes, P.Neville, R.Giggs, W.Rooney J.Terry, F.Lampard, J.Wilshere, J.Hart? All are British players and all world class. I could go on and on, there are many more. Bale IS world class but he's not the ONLY world class player Britain has produced in the last 15 years.
Bale you beauty!
iam a spurs fan . bale is worth about 10 bob about twice as much as arss & manuer together inc the grounds
Holtby : the king !!!
I support Arsenal but I can't deny Bale's quality. I'd even watch him play for Stoke! Well, maybe that's going a bit far.
I think you'll find it 4th with 48 point Ella not 3rd
BAHAHAHAHA! Everybody laugh at the ArsenHole fanboys. Getting nervous are we? So pathetic! Jack Wheelchair is Gareth Bale's boot-cleaner. Bale is a legend, Wilshere is a bow-legged cripple. Bayern 58 - 0 Arsenal
I wonder if Bayern will even bother fielding their full strength squad next week, probably better to give the under 11s a run out
Some great strikes from Bale. He really is a class act.
The 1 man band is 3rd in the prem with 48 points. Arsenal are 4th in the prem with 44 points. How embarrassing!
Where's that #$%$ Will, gone quiet since we scored. Probably hating the fact we're on ITV 1 and won whilst Chelsea didnt even get channel 5, oh the humiliation for the 'Champions of Europe'
