UEFA Champions League – Full time review: Tottenham Hotspur versus Werder Bremen
Tottenham Hotspur started the match off with a bang as they took the lead in the 6th minute at the White Hart Lane. It was a brilliant start to the encounter for Harry Redknapp’s team as the set piece was taken by Gareth
Bale. Bale’s over-hit corner kick came all the way out to Aaron Lennon on the opposite flank; the Englishman whipped in a cross of his own that found Younes Kaboul inside the Tottenham penalty area and the Frenchman made no mistake in heading the ball into
the back of the net as Spurs took a lead.
It was a fine finish by the defender, who also scored in Spurs’ last match at the weekend against Arsenal. The Spurs came back from two goals behind to win the encounter by 3-2 in the second half. Tottenham took confidence from
their early goal as they kept possession against a stern German side, Werder Bremen. Bale looked like Tottenham’s brightest player in the first half as he went past defenders with ease. On the other hand, Marko Marin was Bremen’s outstanding player as he tried
his best to make a mark on the match.
In the 19th minute of the match, Tottenham suffered a massive blow as Jermaine Jenas pulled up with injury. At first, the midfielder tried to run it off, but eventually he was substituted as Wilson Palacios came on for
the home side. It was the first substitution of the match for Spurs who were clearly shocked by the injury to Jenas in their midfield department. Tottenham definitely lost momentum after Jenas was substituted, as Bremen were given a route back into the match
through the midfielder’s injury. The home side gave up possession very easily during the middle stages of the first half as Palacios found it hard to adapt to the tempo of the match.
In the 41st minute, Clemens Fritz was booked by the referee as he tugged back Gareth Bale by keeping hold of his shirt. However, Tottenham managed to make their system work just before the half time break came through,
as Luka Modric added another goal to their lead. The Croatian midfielder netted Tottenham’s second goal as he pounced on a knockdown by Peter Crouch. Modric poked the ball into the back of the Bremen net from a close range in one of the last pieces of action
in the first half, as the first half ended with the score line at 2-0 to Tottenham.
In the 54th minute of the match, Tottenham were awarded a penalty by the referee. Bale stepped up to take the penalty kick, but the Welshman failed to convert the chance as he went for power rather than placement. Bremen’s
goalkeeper dealt well with the spot kick as he guessed and dove the right way. In the 57th
minute, Tottenham made their second change of the match as Jermaine Defoe came on for Pavlyuchenko; Defoe’s introduction gave Tottenham a much more fluid style of play as the Englishman’s movement proved to be a plus point for the London club all throughout
the second half.
In the 77th minute, Crouch increased Tottenham’s lead to three goals as Lennon played the English striker in and the former Portsmouth player applied the finishing touch to perfection. Tottenham’s win was all but secured
with their third goal as Crouch rounded off a fine evening for the London club. The match finally ended in a three-goal win for Tottenham who progressed through to the round of sixteen with their win against Werder Bremen.
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