Tottenham-Slavia Prague: Spurs Disappoint...but Advance

Tottenham Hotspur held Slavia Prague’s second half pressure to qualify for the last-sixteen round of the UEFA Cup with a 1-1 draw, 3-2 on aggregate.

The Spurs, however, did not prove by any means that they were the better team, and it was sheer luck that the Czechs did not manage to equalize—given the numerous opportunities they had in the second 45 minutes.

The first period did not suggest such a dramatic ending. Tottenham was in total command of the game while Slavia could not get out of its half. The inevitable happened in the seventh minute when a shot by youngster Jamie O’Hara got deflected and went past goalkeeper Vorel’s plunge.

The Irishman played very confidently after this positive boost. Nearly all of the Spurs’ attacks went through him, and he created scoring opportunities for both Tottenham’s forwards. A few minutes after the goal, he made a wonderful volley cross but Dimitar Berbatov was just one step away from the ball and could not put it in.

In the 28th minute, the Irishman made a good raid down the left wing and delivered a long cross to Darren Bent, but his header was just deflected by Vorel’s fingertips and hit the crossbar.

Tottenham were still getting most of the possession and although they were not applying enormous pressure, they had a few more chances, the final one being a free kick by O’Hara that went just over the bar.

Former British No. 1 goalkeeper Paul Robinson got to start a game for the first time since January 8 and it did not seem that he would get an opportunity to show his qualities. In the first 45 minutes, Slavia had a single shot by Cerny that was easily saved by Robinson.

At halftime, manager Juande Ramos must have thought that victory was secured, because he substituted his biggest star, Berbatov, for Keane. Then the unexpected happened. A clumsy mistake by Chimbonda deep in the Czechs’ half led to a deadly counter-attack and Matej Kraijick did not hesitate to take advantage of Tottenham’s weak defense and put a beautiful cross past Robinson.

It looked as though Slavia was going to equalize the aggregate result as well as the second leg. They took many free kicks and corner kicks, Tottenham’s main problem. The Spurs’ defense seemed to be handling the Czechs’ pressure well but a quarter of an hour before the end Strihavka, the man who scored for Slavia in the first game, hit the right post with a marvelous shot over his head.

As the team from Prague was increasing the pressure, Darren Bent hit the crossbar for the second time. He collected a deep through ball but his powerful shot got deflected and miraculously perched on the bar and went out.

The Czechs had a few more opportunities but Paul Robinson showed his class and made some excellent saves. Slavia’s final rush brought a sequence of shots from the D but they all got deflected to the relief of Tottenham’s fans.

With an aggregate of 3-2, the Spurs qualified for the next round of the tournament. However, they did not impress as their game lacked creativity and was mainly founded on long kicks by Robinson. Although Ramos is trying to obliterate this random kicking of the ball from his players’ heads and to make them use the midfield, there are still games like this when it is not working out.

Tottenham is now getting ready for the Carling Cup final clash with Chelsea on Sunday. Slavia, on the other hand, is enjoying a five-point lead at the top of the Czech league as the Championship is still in winter break.