Tottenham made it two wins from two to kick off their Europa League campaign when they beat Ferencvaros 2-0 on Thursday evening.
As was the case against Qarabag last week, Spurs struggled for periods of the contest but scored at crucial moments to put the game away from the hosts on a wet night in Budapest.
Pape Matar Sarr and Brennan Johnson were on the scoresheet for Ange Postecoglou’s side, while Barnabas Varga grabbed a late consolation for a Ferencvaros side that created chances all game.
How the match unfolded
There was great excitement among the Tottenham fan base as news of the team leaked out. Postecoglou trusted the kids when he handed Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore their first competitive starts for the club.
Spurs battled through the opening exchanges on a slick Groupama Arena pitch, although Lankshear spurned a good chance to give the visitors the lead. Ferencvaros offered a threat from behind and through Varga’s attacking play, and the Hungarian striker thought he had steered his side into the lead from a wicked cross from Eldar Civic. His effort, however, was flagged for offside.
It was after a period of Ferencvaros’ superiority that Tottenham took the lead. Sarr scored his second in as many Europa League outings as he finished from close range after the home side made a mess of trying to clear. Sarr tested Denis Dibusz on several occasions in the opening period, as did the brilliant Moore. Pedro Porro also made a good rebound off the post.
Chances continued to come at both ends after the restart, with Matheus Saldanha only denied by a superb save from Guglielmo Vicario to deny the home side an equaliser. Youngster Lankshear came inches from doubling Tottenham’s lead before Timo Werner should have scored the visitors’ second after a quick break, but his touch was too heavy as he tried to round Dibusz.
The contest opened up considerably after the hour, which made for great entertainment as the conclusion approached. Spurs did not stop in their attempt to kill the game, which gave the home side numerous chances at the break. However, Ferencvaros could not produce a killer touch as they reached the final third and were made to pay when Johnson scored his fifth in as many games to seal the points for the Premier League outfit, until even though Varga got a deserved goal back in the end. .
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – 8/10 – He struck late but the Italian made a couple of outstanding saves before that and was generally confident in claiming the high ball.
RB: Pedro Porro – 8/10 – He certainly took responsibility in a young Tottenham team. He found all sorts of angles in the build-up as his technical ability came to the fore. Leek was excellent.
CB: Cristian Romero – 6/10 – He made tackles and made crisp passes through the lines, but this was not the cleanest display from the Argentine.
CB: Archie Gray – 7/10 – He started in a position he’s not familiar with, and Varga got the better of him once or twice before. However, we were able to enjoy Gray’s impressive passing range and the comfort he provides with the ball throughout. The hosts got behind him when they lined up at left back.
LB: Ben Davies – 5/10 – Ferencvaros had early success when crossing at the back post, with Davies having little chance of competing against Varga.
CM: Yves Bissouma – 7/10 – Bissouma produces flashes of infuriating laziness, but is also capable of brilliance. We have seen wonderful sequences from the midfielder in this one, but he needs to be more consistent. Some of his footwork outside of tight spaces was magical.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr – 7/10 – On the scoreboard, but still looks a little unsure of himself with the ball at his feet. He had a couple of loose moments, but his ability to recover was impressive.
CM: Lucas Bergvall – 5/10 – You could tell he was desperate to impress given what happened on day one, but the Swede could have done with a change of boots in the wet conditions. He got into some useful positions, but often lost his footing.
RW: Mikey Moore – 8/10 – A positive influence throughout, although his execution was not always perfect. Quick-footed and very dynamic, Moore is bound to feature in this competition at least during the league phase.
ST: Will Lankshear – 7/10 – He turned down a couple of chances but looked comfortable overall. He held the ball and passed the channels well. It certainly didn’t hurt his hopes of earning more minutes.
LW: Timo Werner – 5/10 – He had a bright early moment when he beat his man and crossed well for Lankshear, but Werner didn’t produce much else and should have killed the game when Moore finished him off just before his withdrawal.
Substitutes
SUB: Brennan Johnson (for Werner) – 7/10
SUB: Dejan Kulusevski (for Lankshear) – 7/10
SUB: James Maddison (for Bergvall) – 6/10
SUB: Dominic Solanke (81′ for Sarr) – 6/10
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK, Brandon Austin (GK), Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky van de Ven, Alfie Dorrington, Dante Cassanova, Oyindamola Ajayi
manager
Ange Postecoglou – 7/10 – I loved the selection of the team and their senior stars entered the fray at the right time. His gear wasn’t watertight on the back, but that’s the way of Ange! Well, a little. Arguably Spurs’ poorest defensive displays have come in this competition.
