Tottenham Hotspur vs Asteras: Score, Grades and Reaction from Europa League Game
Harry Kane netted a hat-trick and Erik Lamela added a fine brace as Tottenham Hotspur notched their first group stage victory in the UEFA Europa League, beating Greek side Asteras Tripolis 5-1 on Thursday at White Hart Lane.
Spurs dominated throughout the 90 minutes, as they controlled possession, finished off chances efficiently and limited Asteras' attacking threat. Kane scored in the 13th, 75th and 81st minutes before making a late cameo as an emergency goalkeeper.
The only blemish for Tottenham came in the 87th minute, when goalkeeper Hugo Lloris drew a straight red card for a foul outside his box. Kane replaced the Frenchman in goal and quickly conceded a goal from Jeronimo Barrales' free-kick in the 89th minute.
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Lamela netted the best of the goals when he curled in a brilliant rabona kick in the first half from outside the box. He added a well-taken volley after half-time.
With the win, Spurs moved level with Besiktas atop Group C with five points from three games. Asteras entered the match first in the group with four points, but fell to third following the defeat.
Spurs and Asteras will play again in two weeks' time, as Tottenham will travel to Tripoli, Greece, on Nov. 6. Victory in the return match would put Spurs well on their way to progressing from the group stage.
Within moments of kick-off, the match quickly fell into its pattern. Tottenham held the majority of possession and tried to build attacks while Asteras sat back and looked for opportunities to counter.
One such opportunity came for the Greek side in the sixth minute as Pablo Mazza found space behind Tottenham's defence after running onto a long ball over the top. But after reaching the box, Mazza shot wide.
Asteras then returned to defending deep, with Tottenham probing for a way through. In the 13th minute, Kane found just that. After receiving a pass from Etienne Capoue well outside the box, Kane took a touch before hitting a low shot in off the far post.
With a 1-0 lead, Tottenham had control of the match. But the hosts still had to defend as well. In the 19th minute, Lloris raced off his line to clear with a header near the edge of the box. One minute later, the French international saved easily from Martin Rolle's low shot.
Asteras could have pulled level after creating a big chance in the 28th minute. Facundo Parra did well to control a ball over the top before forcing Lloris into a save with a low shot. The rebound came straight back to Parra, but this time Ben Davies made a crucial block to keep the visitors off the scoresheet.
Less than 60 seconds later, Spurs doubled their lead.
There seemed to be little danger as Emmanuel Adebayor was dispossessed along the edge of Asteras' box, but the ball rolled invitingly to Lamela, who curled in a beauty of a shot with a cheeky rabona kick.
"Lamela's rabona GOLAZO in HQ! http://t.co/hj82Tct51k
— 433 (@by433) October 23, 2014"
Spurs were fully in control, but they weren't satisfied with two goals. In the 40th minute, Andros Townsend sent an audacious, long-distance shot just wide of the top corner.
After the break, Asteras made a concerted effort to threaten Tottenham's goal but found clear chances difficult to come by. Instead, Spurs scored a third goal in the 66th minute as Lamela produced another fine finish.
The Argentinian created the chance for himself, carving out space in the box on the dribble. His initial shot from the left side was blocked, but Lamela volleyed in at the near post on the rebound.
Just three minutes later, Lloris had to make a big save to deny Fernando Usero's acrobatic volley.
Two more goals followed in the final 15 minutes. Kane grabbed his second of the match in the 75th minute, finishing from close range after Tomas Kosicky parried Mousa Dembele's shot. Six minutes later, Kane completed his hat-trick with a free header from a Federico Fazio cross.
The match was finished as a contest, but some late drama remained in store. In the 87th minute, Lloris was sent off for a foul on Anastasios Tsokanis. Replays were inconclusive as to whether Lloris had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity, but referee Ivan Kruzliak did not hesitate in showing the red card.
After a delay of two minutes, which saw Kane put on the goalkeeping gloves and jersey, Barrales stepped up to curl his free-kick past the Tottenham wall. The shot flew straight at Kane, but the striker was unable to hold the ball and it trickled into the net to give the visitors a late consolation.
Grades
| Hugo Lloris | 5.6 |
| Eric Dier | 7.1 |
| Federico Fazio | 8.2 |
| Jan Vertonghen | 7.0 |
| Ben Davies | 7.9 |
| Etienne Capoue | 7.9 |
| Mousa Dembele | 8.1 |
| Andros Townsend | 8.0 |
| Harry Kane | 8.8 |
| Erik Lamela | 9.7 |
| Emmanuel Adebayor | 7.0 |
| Christian Eriksen (for Lamela, 76') | 6.7 |
| Nacer Chadli (for Adebayor, 77') | 6.5 |
| Aaron Lennon (for Townsend, 83') | 6.6 |
Reaction
