Tottenham will face Rennes, Vitesse Arnhem and FC Mura in the Conference League group stage after overturning a 1-0 first leg deficit to overcome Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira 3-1 on aggregate in the play-off round.
Rennes look to be Tottenham’s main competitors in the group after competing in the Champions League and finishing fifth in Ligue 1 last season, while Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem came fourth in the Eredivisie. Slovenian side FC Mura complete Group G.
“This competition will make us grow,” Nuno Espirito Santo said after Thursday’s victory over Pacos. “This is what we want.”
Nuno’s side are regarded as one of the leading contenders to win the competition in its inaugural season, along with Roma, who are now managed by former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho.
Conference League groups in full
Group A: LASK, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Alashkert, HJK Helsinki
Group B: Gent, Partizan Belgrade, Flora Tallinn, Anorthosis Famagusta
Group C: AS Roma, Zorya Luhansk, CSKA Sofia, Bodo Glimt
Group D: AZ Alkmaar, CFR Cluj, FC Jablonec, Randers FC
Group E: Slavia Prague, Feyenoord, Union Berlin, Maccabi Haifa
Group F: FC Copenhagen, PAOK, Slovan Bratislava, Lincoln Red Imps
Group G: Tottenham Hotspur, Rennes, Vitesse Arnhem, NS Mura
Group H: FC Basel, Qarabag, Kairat Almaty, Onorthosis
How Tottenham reached the group stage
By Will Magee at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The competition hasn’t even begun in earnest and there is already a comforting familiarity to the Europa Conference League. It’s Thursday night football with an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible twist.
Gone is the headache-inducing orange branding, gone is the insipid anthem, but nothing says ‘Europa League tribute act’ like slogging through a two-legged qualification play-off against the team that finished fifth in the Primeira Liga last season. Europe’s third tier could have been something different – a reimagined European Cup Winners’ Cup following a high-stakes knockout format, for instance – but market logic dictates there has to be a bloated group stage to televise and, so, there is.
Tottenham have all that to look forward to, having overturned their one-goal deficit against Pacos de Ferreira with relative ease. Nuno Espirito Santo described this as “a must-win game”, but still fielded a much-altered team. Having made 11 changes for the first leg, swapping out the side which beat Manchester City in its entirety, his rotation policy wasn’t quite as drastic this time around. Nonetheless, only Eric Dier and Lucas Moura remained from the team which edged Wolves at the weekend.
There was, of course, a notable returnee to the starting line-up. When Harry Kane’s name boomed out through the overhead speakers before kick off, it was met with a deafening roar. It was a long way from the chants of “Are you watching Harry Kane?” as Spurs confounded City in their Premier League opener despite the pointed absence of their homegrown hero. Having abandoned his efforts to secure a move to the Etihad earlier this week – for the moment, at least – this was a symbolic moment to hand Kane his first start of the season.
There was an urgency to the welcome given to Kane which felt like an act of reacceptance. As City’s very public efforts to sign him dragged on, there was fierce debate among Spurs fans as to whether the club should cash in and reinvest given his open desire to leave. For all those who affected a hard-headed, unsentimental attitude to the situation, there was no denying the emotional outpouring in the stands as he walked out wearing the captain’s armband. Without wanting to stray into prodigal son territory, a show of forgiveness is often the first step on the road to renewing old bonds.
It was clear that this would be his night from the beginning, when he almost scored with his first touch only to guide his shot just over the crossbar. It only took him nine minutes to level the tie, a low cross from Bryan Gil teeing him up to smash past Pacos goalkeeper Andre Ferreira. He scored the decisive goal with just over half an hour gone, picking up a loose ball from Giovani Lo Celso before taking a deft touch and rifling into the back of the net. It was trademark Kane, clean, decisive finishing which seemed to announce that, after a summer of wanderlust, he was very much at home.
Football is, by its nature, a game of extreme emotions. Supporters are quick to anger and even quicker to absolve their heroes. As Kane made way for Son Heung-min with 20 minutes to play – this after Lo Celso had made sure of the result with a deceptive free kick – he was given a standing ovation on all four sides of the ground. He may have left them gripped with anxiety for much of the summer but, as long as Kane remains a Tottenham player, Spurs fans have little choice but to idolise him.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3BilZZ3
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