Tottenham Hotspur defender accuses Arsenal's Samir Nasri of diving
Tottenham Hotspur defender Sebastien Bassong today accused Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri of diving to win a penalty as the English Premier League sides clashed in the Carling Cup.
The bitter North London rivals met in the third round of the competition Tuesday, with Arsenal netting three goals in extra time to progress to the next round with a 4-1 rout. Henri Lansbury put the visitors
ahead after just 15 minutes of action, but Republic of Ireland international Robbie Keane came on as a substitute and levelled the score for Spurs.
In added time, Nasri won his side a penalty which he converted to put the Gunners ahead. However, Bassong has asserted that the 23-year-old dived to earn the spot-kick and insisted that he “did not grab”
the France international.
'Left a bad taste'
Bassong told The Mirror Wednesday that: “I didn't think it was a penalty. He told me afterwards that I just barely touched him. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth because in extra time, I thought
we could have achieved something. I did not touch him I did not grab him. I have seen the video and from my point of view it was not a penalty. I touched his chest but I did not grab him. He went down too easily.”
The Cameroon international added that the penalty was a turning point in the game as he felt Spurs were left down and out afterwards. He said that: “It's gone but it's a shame the game turned on that moment.
We all worked hard and to concede a second goal like this was hard to take. It left me with a bad taste because we could have achieved something in extra-time. Because of the penalty we could not get back in the game.”
Nasri added to his tally for the night with a second penalty, before Russia international Andrei Arshavin slotted home to complete a 4-1 victory.
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