Photo courtesy of Tottenham’s official Facebook page
Tottenham hosted and defeated Tromso in their UEL Group Stage opener, courtesy of a 3-0 score line.
The first two goals were scored in the first half by veteran striker Jermaine Defoe. The Englishman lobbed the keeper for his first strike before German international Lucas Holtby sent him through in order to slot home his second.
The third goal was an absolute gem, as Christian Eriksen cut to his right then added lift, spin and direction to a stunning curler that hit the top left corner. This was clearly their goal of the game.
The interesting fact of their Norwegian opponent is that they lost to Besiktas 3-2 on aggregate in the UEL playoff series, but were allowed into the Group Stage due to a match-fixing scandal keeping the Turkish side banned from European play.
Tottenham has sole control of the group, as their other two group opponents, Sherrif and Anzhi, shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw from Moldova.
Standings thus far:
Tottenham: 3 points
Anzhi: 1 point
Sherrif: 1 point
Tromso: 0 points
The Premier League side, without a shadow of a doubt, is the best team in this group on paper. By now, we should all know that this game is not, and will never be, played on paper, but what matters the most is that they have the talent to win this group with ease. Coach Andre Villas-Boas should absolutely be proud of his troops after today’s job well done.
The team has so much talent, which means that balancing out their players in Premier League and UEL play should not be a problem at all. The departure of Gareth Bale has turned out to be a blessing, as they have replaced the Welsh attacker with many more rising stars who are already making their marks in the ranks of their new club.
