Bliss for Tottenham after their long wait

Tottenham 4 FC Twente 1:AFTER THEIR long wait for such an occasion on their ground, Tottenham Hotspur were rewarded with a night crammed with incident. Roman Pavlyuchenko converted two of the three penalties, with the first missed by Rafael van der Vaart, who had already scored before he was sent off.

Twente will have departed with a conviction that referee Terje Hauge had wronged them since all but one of the penalties were debatable.

With five minutes remaining, Gareth Bale pounced on a loose ball to claim a fourth Tottenham goal. For the victors this was simply a blissful win on an occasion craved for generations.

There had not been an occasion like this at White Hart Lane since 1962, when the hosts beat Benfica 2-1, but were eliminated on aggregate by the European Cup holders who went on to retain the trophy.

It felt on this occasion that the Tottenham side was a little uneasy as it tried to come to terms with this sort of challenge. The best chance before the interval had come when Bryan Ruiz broke clear in the 12th minute, but he was beaten in the battle of wits by Heurelho Gomes as the goalkeeper refused to go down too early and threw up his right hand to block as the midfielder tried a chipped finish.

Tottenham did apply pressure in the first half, but it did not amount to a siege. A flicker of imagination from someone like Luka Modric would have helped, but the side’s work was rather conventional at that stage. The visitors did not even seem all that disconcerted when an injured Emir Bajrami had to make way for Nacer Chadli.

It took the award of a penalty to Tottenham before there was sense of tension and controversy. Peter Crouch and Twente captain Peter Wisgerhof seemed to tangle with one another, but the highly experienced Hauge was sure the centre-half had been the culprit. Wisgerhof was cautioned and so too was goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov, presumably for dissent. The time-wasting had its effect and Van der Vaart’s penalty rose, making it possible for Mihaylov to leap to his left and tip the ball onto the post.

Before the interval, the goalkeeper would also reach a long-range effort from the Dutchman.

In an exasperating spell, Van der Vart was also cautioned for a foul.

Harry Redknapp had certain choices to make, and, after all the talk about mending Aaron Lennon’s confidence, more damage was done to the winger as he was named among the substitutes. That ruthlessness was a compliment to Twente. Steve McClaren had worked a transformation by guiding them to Eredivisie title in Holland and so into this tournament proper for the first time.

Now under the direction of Michel Preud’homme, they had led against Internazionale in their first fixture before drawing 2-2.

Any satisfaction felt by the visitors was premature and might even have been a factor in the collapse that saw Tottenham take a 2-0 lead in the early moments that followed the interval.

Perhaps the execution of the opener would have been irresistible at any time. Van der Vaart purged his frustrations as he took a knockdown from Crouch on his chest before volleying beyond Mihaylov.

The complications of this match briefly disappeared as the lead was extended. Roberto Rosales brought down Bale and Pavlyuchnenko, taking over the penalty duties, sent Mihaylov the wrong way from the penalty spot after 50 minutes. That, however, was merely the prelude for renewed mayhem.

Chadli scored for Twente by drilling in a loose ball and it did not take long before the unpredictability appeared all-pervasive. Van der Vaart, already booked, was dismissed with a second yellow on Rosales in the 61st minute.

It was in keeping with the mayhem that the reduction in numbers for Redknapp’s side should be followed by another goal for them two minutes later. A penalty was given when Pavlyuchenko’s drive met the arm of Wout Brama, with the striker again despatching it expertly.

Guardian Service

TOTTENHAM: Gomes, Hutton, Bassong, King, Assou-Ekotto, Van der Vaart, Huddlestone, Modric (Lennon 82), Bale, Pavlyuchenko (Keane 89), Crouch (Jenas 66). Subs not used: Cudicini, Palacios, Kranjcar, Corluka. Booked: Van der Vaart.

FC TWENTE: Mihailov, Rosales, Franco, Wisgerhof, Kuiper, Brama, Janssen, Ruiz, Landzaat (de Jong 69), Bajrami (Chadli 28), Janko. Subs not used: Boschker, Bengtsson, Parker, Vujicevic, Schimpelsberger. Booked: Mihailov, Kuiper, Rosales.

Referee: Terje Hauge(Norway).