Tottenham Hotspur vs. Asteras: Winners and Losers from Europa League Game
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick and played a little goal on Thursday as Tottenham Hotspur beat Asteras Tripolis 5-1 at White Hart Lane.
The victory was Spurs’ first in the Europa League group stage and also included a pair of spectacular goals from Erik Lamela, including an otherworldly “rabona” in the 29th minute.
Jeronimo Barrales pulled one back for the Greek side with a minute remaining in normal time when he beat Kane, who had replaced the ejected Hugo Lloris between the sticks, with a free-kick from just outside the box.
It was an unforgettable night in North London, and over the next few slides we’ll unpack some of what took place.
Following are the winners and losers from a very memorable encounter.
Winner: Harry Kane, Who Scored a Hat-Trick and Conceded a Goal
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Harry Kane scored a hat-trick on Thursday to bring his Europa League haul to an impressive six goals so far this season.
The 21-year-old opened the scoring after just 13 minutes at White Hart Lane when his long-range shot beat Asteras Tripolis goalkeeper Tomas Kosicky to the far corner.
He then bundled in a rebound and headed the ball into the back of the net to complete his treble, after which he replaced the ejected Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham goal.
His first action was Jeronimo Barrales’ free-kick, and while he failed to make the save he most definitely won’t forget what was a truly remarkable game of football.
Loser: Facundo Parra, Who Quite Nearly Potted an Equaliser
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Tottenham were ahead by just a solitary goal when Facundo Parra had a glorious chance to restore level terms.
In the 28th minute he did well to control an arcing cross to the far post and might have slipped the ball into a wide-open net had Spurs left-back Ben Davies not slid in to make what proved to be a vital block.
Less than 60 seconds later the hosts were 2-0 in front thanks to Erik Lamela’s first goal of the evening.
Winner: Emmanuel Adebayor, Who Impressed Despite Failing to Score
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Emmanuel Adebayor didn’t find the back of the net on Thursday but nevertheless impressed until his exit in the 77th minute.
While Lamela’s “rabona” goal will surely be what most people remember from this match, it was Adebayor who fought to hold up the ball for his teammate before making the crucial layoff.
The Togolese striker also hunted down several long balls and contributed numerous cutbacks, one of which helped Harry Kane on his way to a hat-trick.
Winner: Pablo Mazza, Who Didn’t Stop Playing
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Trailing 2-0 at the break, Asteras Tripolis could have been content to simply play out the string after the restart.
Pablo Mazza, however, took matters into his own hands in the second half and had Spurs fighting to retain their two-goal lead until Lamela completed his brace in the 66th minute.
Mazza persistently stretched the Tottenham back line with well-timed runs and pace on the dribble, and midway through the second half he might have picked up an assist had Anastasios Tsokanis showed as much commitment on the run as he did.
Loser: Paulinho, Who Wasn’t Even in the Matchday Squad
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Paulinho wasn’t involved in Thursday’s match (he wasn’t even on the bench), and as a result the speculation over his Tottenham future will no doubt intensify.
On Wednesday Tom Collomosse of the London Evening Standard reported that Corinthians were hoping to repatriate the player they sold to Spurs in 2013—a rumour his omission will have only served to support.
After reaching a personal height at the 2013 Confederations Cup, Paulinho has largely failed to impress at Spurs and has clearly struggled to make an impression on new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Winner: Erik Lamela, Who Scored a Pair of Incredible Goals
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Erik Lamela’s “rabona” goal on Thursday will wear out the highlight reels.
And for good reason.
In the 29th minute at White Hart Lane, the Argentine wrapped his left foot around his right and struck a powerful, curling effort that found the far corner of the goal.
Then, shortly after the hour mark he hit an unstoppable volley after his initial shot was blocked.
“It was crazy,” remarked teammate Harry Kane after the match, as per the club’s official Twitter feed. “He’s got that in his locker.”
