BTC USD 85,658.0 Gold USD 4,143.16
Time now: Jun 1, 12:00 AM

INT Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur 4 - 1 Twente Enschede

Van der Vaart hero and villain

Tottenham's Champions League rollercoaster rattled on as a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance from both Rafael van der Vaart and the match officials saw them beat FC Twente.

On a night of torrential rain and high drama at White Hart Lane, Van der Vaart missed a dubious penalty, broke the deadlock and then picked up a needless red card as Spurs threatened to blow a 2-0 lead for the second successive Group A game.

But referee Terje Hauge's assistants came to the rescue with a mixture of correct and contentious spot-kick decisions, helping Harry Redknapp's men join European champions Inter Milan on four points at the top of the table.

Van der Vaart's 47th-minute opener was quickly followed by the second penalty of the night, dispatched by Roman Pavyluchenko.

Nacer Chadli then pulled a goal back before Van der Vaart saw red but another highly controversial Pavyluchenko penalty and Gareth Bale's late fourth got the 10 men out of trouble.

As promised, Redknapp fielded a bold formation for what was the club's first home match in the European Cup proper for 48 years, including all four of Peter Crouch, Pavyluchenko, Van der Vaart and Luka Modric, while captain Ledley King was also fit enough to start.

All-out attack had worked against Young Boys in the play-off round home leg but if the Spurs boss reckoned the more streetwise Dutch champions would fold in the same fashion, he was in for a shock.

Twente repeatedly exposed the holes in their opponents' game plan early on. Bryan Ruiz might even have had a quickfire hat-trick and should have scored in the 12th minute after exposing a gaping hole in the Spurs defence and racing clear.

But his attempted lob was low enough to be clawed away by the fit-again Heurelho Gomes, who was making his first start for a month. At the other end, several crosses and free-kicks from Bale and Van der Vaart were also agonisingly close to finding their target.

Twente lost the recalled Emir Bajrami to a hamstring injury, Chadli coming on in the 28th minute.

Van der Vaart and then Pavyluchenko also tested Nikolay Mihailov moments before Tottenham were awarded a highly controversial penalty.

Peter Wisgerhof was adjudged by the assistant referee behind the goal to have hauled down Crouch when the foul could potentially have gone the other way.

Mihailov was booked for delaying the spot-kick but his gamesmanship worked as he clawed Van der Vaart's effort against the post and behind to safety.

A frustrated Van der Vaart picked up his first yellow card for a late tackle on Nicky Kuiper before channelling his ire in the right fashion by racing onto Benoit Assou-Ekotto's brilliant defensive clearance and lashing in a volley Mihailov acrobatically turned behind.

And he finally made amends just over a minute after the restart, Crouch climbing above his marker for the umpteenth time to nod Tom Huddlestone's ball back across goal for the Holland midfielder to control on his chest and volley expertly into the net.

It got better for Spurs two minutes later when the flying Bale went over Roberto Rosales' challenge after bursting into the box, the penalty again awarded by the assistant behind the goal.

Van der Vaart left the spot-kick to Pavyluchenko, who sent Mihailov the wrong way. But as in their Group A opener at Werder Bremen, Spurs were unable to sit on their lead and after Ruiz and Marc Janko both went close, Twente halved the deficit when their opponents failed miserably to deal with Theo Janssen's free-kick and Chadli poked home.

Van der Vaart's topsy-turvy night then came to an end when he was shown a second yellow card for an over-eager shoulder charge on Rosales.

Spurs were rocking but the 10 men were gifted back their two-goal lead when the assistant referee cruelly adjudged Kuiper had deliberately handled Pavyluchenko's blockbuster in the box. The Russia striker took full advantage of the gift, chipping the penalty straight down the middle.

Redknapp immediately withdrew Crouch for Jermaine Jenas and both sides made full use of their substitutes. One of Twente's, Luuk de Jong, wasted three good chances to set up a grandstand finish, while Modric passed up one to kill the game when he was tackled by Douglas.

Bale showed him the way five minutes from time by coolly slotting the ball past Mihailov to start the party at White Hart Lane.

ESPN Soccernet
 
Van der Vaart: Spurs will beat Inter for me

Rafael Van der Vaart admitted Tottenham's 4-1 victory over FC Twente was one of the more eventful of his career, but was impressed enough by his team-mates to suggest they can beat Champions League holders Inter next time out.

The Netherlands midfielder will be missing from Spurs' visit to the San Siro in a fortnight, after being sent-off against the reigning Dutch champions.

But Van der Vaart, who also scored and missed a penalty against Twente, believes that his side can build on their victory, and even beat Inter.

"Of course after the red card it was difficult,'' Van der Vaart said on Sky Sports. "I was worried we wouldn't win the game but in the end the guys played fantastic.

"It was a strange game, also for me. I scored, missed a penalty and was also sent off. [But against Inter] They are going to win for me."

Aside from Van der Vaart's penalty miss, Spurs were twice on target from the spot - Roman Pavlyuchenko netting twice from 12 yards before Gareth Bale put the result beyond doubt.

And Bale claimed his side deserved all three of their penalties, saying: "If they're penalties they should be given and I think they all were tonight.

Captain Ledley King seemed less certain, saying: "The referee seemed to take a while to give them, I don't know if he was listening to the official behind the goal,''

King was pleased with the win, though, following their opening 2-2 draw at Werder Bremen.

"We got a good draw at Bremen and it was about following that up by getting three points by any means necessary,'' he said. "It's a good start so far but that's all it is.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp felt his side's first two penalties were deserved, but was less sure of the third.

"The first one was a blatant penalty, he wrestled Peter Crouch to the floor; the second one was a blatant penalty, brought Gareth Bale down; the third one was a soft one,'' Redknapp said on Sky Sports News.

Redknapp also revealed he was thinking of taking off Van der Vaart as he feared he would get himself sent off.

"He was a bit rash,'' said the Spurs boss. "I was thinking about subbing him when he was on a yellow. I had a feeling he might make one more silly challenge.''

ESPN Soccernet
 
Tottenham's new stadium approved, Olympic bid

Tottenham's plans for a new stadium with more than 56,000 seats were approved by Haringey Council's planning committee on Thursday night, but the club have also registered their interest in the 2012 Olympic stadium.

In what Haringey Council say will be "an overhaul of north Tottenham'', the Premier League club will redevelop White Hart Lane in a £400 million project.

Council leader Claire Kober said: "The Spurs development has the potential to make a huge impact, not just on the success of the football club, but also on the whole of Tottenham - delivering job opportunities, regenerating the area, and boosting the local economy.

"We're proud of Spurs' rich history in Haringey and excited that the club has committed its future to the area. We look forward to seeing the development unfold and are confident that it will deliver fantastic improvements to this part of the borough.''

Meanwhile, Spurs have also registered their interest in the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 games as a backup plan.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said on the club's official website: "Clearly we are delighted with this unanimous decision and are grateful to all those who expressed such clear support for the plans. I should stress that there is still much work to be done. We shall continue to work with Haringey Council and the application will now be considered by the Mayor of London and referred to the Secretary of State.

"In the meantime I can also confirm we have registered an interest in the Olympic Stadium site within the deadline of 30 September, in conjunction with AEG (Europe), the world's largest entertainment and facilities management company.

"It is only prudent and good management that we ensure that we investigate all possible options for the Club. We were informed by the Olympic Park Legacy Company that were we not to register an interest at this time, there would not be an opportunity at any future date.

"We have always maintained that we wouldn't undertake any project that could undermine the overall financial stability and future success of the Club and this shall remain our guiding principle going forward and in determining our best option in the interests of the Club and all its fans and stakeholders.

"We shall keep everyone connected with the Club updated over the coming months as discussions continue with the various public sector bodies."

ESPN Soccernet
 
Redknapp: World-class Bale not going anywhere

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has issues a hands-off warning over left-back Gareth Bale, after reports suggested that Real Madrid were considering a move for Welshman.

Bale, 21, has been one of the stars of Spurs' squad in recent months, after a slow start at White Hart Lane, but now Redknapp is in no doubt as to his importance to the side and won't be letting him go anywhere.

"I read in the papers the other day that Gareth's performances for Spurs have already caught the attention of other teams around the world - including Real Madrid and their manager, a certain Jose Mourinho,'' he said in the Sun.

"Jose certainly knows a player when he sees one. But one thing is for sure. I am not letting Gareth go anywhere. Tottenham is a team on the up and we are building something at White Hart Lane. Mourinho can enjoy watching Gareth all he likes but he will be going nowhere."

Redknapp has poured praise on the youngster and his most recent commendation has likened him to Chelsea star Ashley Cole, rated by many as the best left-back in the world.

"I do not make comparisons lightly but he and Ashley Cole are quite similar and that can only be a massive compliment to Gareth," said Redknapp. "My left-back at Tottenham has come through an amazing 12 months and matured into one of the best players in his position in the world.

"Just over a year ago, he had this awful jinx hanging over him where he had not played in a winning Spurs team. Cole started out at Arsenal as a left-winger. Gareth was a left-winger as a lad too. Now, I would say he and Ashley Cole are two of a kind in this country and the two best left-backs in England."

He added: "The main difference between him and Ashley Cole is that he is Welsh - more's the pity. I would go so far as to say that Gareth is the best player to come out of Wales since Ryan Giggs. As an Englishman, I am highly disappointed he is Welsh."

ESPN Soccernet
 
Redknapp yakin Van der Vaart mampu menyinar

LONDON: Harry Redknapp percaya Rafael van der Vaart mampu menyumbat lebih banyak gol selepas penyerang Belanda itu menjaringkan kedua-dua gol ketika Tottenham Hotspur mencatat kemenangan di gelanggang sendiri menundukkan Aston Villa 2-1, kelmarin.

Van der Vaart ketika ini mengumpul empat gol dalam empat perlawanan dan sudah bersedia untuk tawar menawar selepas perpindahan lapan juta pound (RM38.4 juta) daripada gergasi Real Madrid pada hari terakhir.

Menentang Villa, van der Vaart membawa Spurs kembali bersaing dalam perlawanan dengan menjaringkan gol penyamaan dan memastikan kemenangan 16 minit sebelum tamat selepas lebih banyak beraksi di bahagian tengah berbanding sayap kanan pada separuh masa kedua.

Kedua-dua gol van der Vaart hasil gerakan penyerang Peter Crouch dan pengurus Spurs, Redknapp memuji pemain tengah Belanda itu yang melaksanakan tanggungjawabnya dengan berkesan.

“Rafael menunjukkan kecemerlangan lagi,” kata Redknapp selepas kemenangan yang melonjakkan Spurs ke tangga kelima liga.

“Saya melakukan perubahan selepas separuh masa. Babak pertama kami terlalu terbuka dengan dua penyerang dan kami mengubah apabila meletakkan dia di belakang seorang penyerang. Dia kemudian menjaringkan gol.” – AFP

Berita Harian Online
 
Back
Top
Log in Register