Tottenham Hotspur boss relieved after defeat
Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp has spoken of his relief after his side claimed two vital away goals in their UEFA Champions League play-off first-leg match against Young Boys of Switzerland.
Young Boys raced to a 3-0 lead in less than 30 minutes before Sebastien Bassong and Roman Pavlyuchenko struck for the away side, which means they will need to win by one goal at White Hart Lane in the return match next Wednesday – provided they don’t concede twice or more - to progress to the lucrative group stages of Europe’s top club competition.
'Staring down the barrel'
Redknapp was pleased with the resilience his side showed after going three goals down and told reporters after the match that: "It was a great defeat - if there's such a thing. At 3-0 down, we were staring down the barrel. We were in desperate trouble. We were all over the show."
Senad Lulic put the hosts ahead after just four minutes then strikes from Henri Bienvenu in the 13th minute and Xavier Hochstrasser after 28 minutes of action put Young Boys into dreamland. Redknapp was furious after his side found themselves with a mountain to climb after just a sixth of the tie’s total time played. He said that: "From the first minute, we started sloppily, they hit the post and it went on. They didn't give us time to settle on the ball. They ran all over us in the first half hour."
'Not comfortable' on Astroturf
The Spurs boss added that the artificial surface used at the Young Boys’ stadium in Bern played a big part in his team’s poor performance. “It's not an excuse but I played on Astroturf myself and hated every minute of it. I left four players out because they weren't comfortable on the pitch in training on Monday. Aaron Lennon wasn't comfortable, Robbie (Keane) had a problem with his knee. The last time Tom Huddlestone played on artificial turf he was out for six weeks as his knee blew up like a balloon. I didn't really want to risk Tom. It was a case that we were pretty desperate and I threw him on."
After Young Boys’ impressive showing in the first leg, Redknapp said that he would not be complacent in the return match but that the two away goals were a huge boost as his side return to London. He said that: “Our plan is to get after them at White Hart Lane. It'll be a fantastic crowd, great atmosphere and we're at home. We have to win the game. If we win the game, we have a great chance to go through, obviously, with the two away goals."
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