Champions League: Tottenham Hotspur v Young Boys full time report
Tottenham Hotspur 4 Young Boys 0 (agg: 6-3)
Peter Crouch scored a hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur reached the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in their history on a raucous night at White Hart Lane.
Crouch opened the scoring with a free header from Gareth Bale’s early cross, before Jermain Defoe fired home a left footed effort off a post, which was allowed to stand despite the forward initially appearing to have controlled the ball with his hand.
The giant forward then headed home a Bale corner shortly after the hour mark, before Senad Lulić was sent off for tripping the Welshman in the box, and Crouch sent goalkeeper Marco Wölfli the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Young Boys rarely threatened, and Tottenham eased through to a place in the group stage draw, which takes place tomorrow evening.
On a night when top level European football returned to White Hart Lane after a 48 year absence, Spurs were looking to bounce back from the shock of going 3-0 in the first leg in Bern, but their two away goals in Switzerland had meant that hopes were high.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp had spoken of the need for a strong start and the desire to put his opponents under pressure, and in the driving rain in North London, his team didn’t let him down.
Only five minutes were on the clock when Bale – following a corner that was cleared back to him – sent over a lofted cross towards Crouch and the forward, the only outfield player in the Spurs line-up to have previously played in the Champions League group stages, stooped to head an effort into the far corner of the net, sending White Hart Lane wild in the process.
The strike meant that Spurs were now ahead on away goals, but the Swiss side quickly settled, and Spurs’ only threat for the next few minutes was a long range Benoît Assou-Ekotto strike that was blocked by Ammar Jemal.
An injury to Heurelho Gomes appeared to disrupt Tottenham’s flow, and with the Brazilian gloveman signalling to Redknapp that he wanted to come off, there appeared to be more action going on in the exchange between goalkeeper and manager than there was on the pitch, but not for long.
Bale chipped a ball towards Defoe, and after the England forward appeared to initially control the ball with his left forearm, he chose the more conventional option of his left foot to dispatch an effort into the back of the net from 20 yards and off a post. Fortunate? Yes. Did Spurs care? Certainly not.
Defoe – who will undergo an operation on a troublesome groin injury next week – should have scored a second when he latched onto an Aaron Lennon pass only to fire wide, before Young Boys started to show a cutting edge shortly before the break, with first Xavier Hochstrasser looping an effort wide, and then Henri Bienvenu heading over amid Spurs hesitation.
Gomes was replaced by Carlo Cudicini at the break, and the Italian was soon forced to save smartly from Bienvenu, before only an excellent last ditch block from Christoph Spycher denied Defoe from getting on the end of an excellent Bale cross at the other end. Crouch took too long with a close range effort from the resultant corner. It wasn’t long before he was soon celebrating from a corner though.
Just after the hour, Bale’s delivery found the completely unmarked Spurs forward, and Crouch – who, with 11, is Liverpool’s third highest goalscorer in the Champions League – headed Spurs into the same competition for the first time from six yards out.
The remaining half an hour would be played out amid a party atmosphere at White Hart Lane, and Bale almost increased the volume with a header from Lennon’s cross that Wölfli did well to save.
Bale was soon in the action again when he broke clear down the left, only to be tripped in the box by Lulić. Penalty, red card, and the chance for Crouch’s treble. It was a chance he took, sending goalkeeper Wölfli the wrong way from the spot to claim the match ball.
For Young Boys, the fact that it was Lulić who trudged off signified much, for it was the Bosnian midfielder who gave them an early lead back in Bern eight days ago, when they raced into a three goal advantage. How long ago that seemed now.
Not that Spurs fans cared, and although Crouch could have a fourth from close range, few but he cared.
The final whistle brought prolonged celebrations, as Spurs now take their place alongside the European elite – including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
With the final being held at Wembley in May 2011, what price a British winner? What price Spurs?
All they can do is dream, but after dreaming of this night for 48 years, surely anything is possible?
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