Tottenham Hotspur 2 Marseille 0
There was the obligatory pre-match footage of Lucas Moura’s winner at Ajax and then the declaration on the big screen at Tottenham’s magnificent stadium, one that is built to stage these kind of Champions League nights. “We’re back.”
For so long, it appeared that the grand return after a two-season absence would fall flat, even when Marseille were reduced to 10 men in the 47th minute following Chancel Mbemba’s last-man foul on Son Heung-min. It was a dreadful misjudgment by the former Newcastle centre half. Spurs were labouring sorely to create against the Ligue 1 runners-up from last season.
Enter Richarlison. The £50 million summer signing from Everton had not previously found the net for Spurs but he changed all that with a devastating one-two punch late on. Both of the goals were headers, marked by thumping power, and the home crowd could reflect that all was well when it ended like this.
Marseille had been dogged but when Ivan Perisic shaped a cross from the left and Richarlison started to drift into a seam of space, they switched off. The second one was even more devastating, Richarlison getting the better of Samuel Gigot to crash home from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s cross and Spurs were firmly up and running.
Tottenham’s previous Champions League tie had been the last-16 second-leg defeat at RB Leipzig in March 2020. It was a dispiriting night, with José Mourinho’s injury-hit team always feeling destined to go out, and there was a stark contrast in the pre-match optimism here, the surge of noise and energy at kick-off time.
Antonio Conte was not supposed to have returned Spurs to Europe’s elite competition, not after taking over last November with the team struggling following Nuno Espírito Santo’s tenure and ninth in the Premier League. The manager has made believers of the Spurs support and the idea was that Marseille would be the latest obstacle cleared.
Conte went strong with his starting XI. Forget the fixture congestion. This was the only game that mattered. He strained at the leash at the outset – wandering out of his technical area and giving the fourth official who highlighted the transgression short shrift. There was an undercurrent to the action. Harry Kane caught Pau López with a stray arm midway through the first half, bloodying the eye of the one-time Spurs goalkeeper.
There was intrigue in so much of the narrative, so many connections, from Conte’s friendship with the Marseille manager, Igor Tudor – they are former Juventus team-mates – to the visitors having 12 players with past or current links to Premier League clubs. Eleven of them were in the matchday squad.
The odd man out? The suspended Alexis Sánchez, previously of Arsenal. The Spurs support contented themselves with booing Matteo Guendouzi, the former Arsenal midfielder, lustily and, to a lesser extent, Nuno Tavares, who is on loan from their north London rivals.
Marseille settled quickly, Guendouzi prominent, their passing rhythms smooth, Tudor’s organisation evident. Spurs wanted to pinch possession and transition but they could get little going before the interval. Marseille shut down the spaces and they dictated the tempo, Gerson one of the symbols of their composure. Spurs struggled to muster pressure on the ball and they needed Hugo Lloris to beat out a low Guendouzi drive on 45 minutes.
Kane dropped deep to link Spurs’ play and try to spark something but it was thin gruel in the first half. The responsibility on him was heavy. Kane jinked inside from the right in the 34th minute only to see Tavares block his shot and, shortly afterwards, he had a slightly clearer opening, even if it was still not that clear. Fed by Son Heung-min on the right-hand side of the area, he was confronted by Eric Bailly. Kane took on the shot early and dragged it well wide of the far post.
Conte sent his players out minutes before those of Marseille for the second half – always a telltale sign that it has not been good enough – and he watched the shape of the game change with the red card.
Finally, Kane got Son away into space and, having given Mbemba a head start, the Spurs forward gobbled up the ground. Mbemba lunged with his wrong foot, the tackle was mistimed, too, and, when Son went down, the referee, Slavko Vincic, had only one decision to make.
Tudor kept his wing back system, pulled Guendouzi back into a midfield three and asked Spurs to break his team down. Conte introduced Dejan Kulusevski at right wing back, seeking greater punch, and the Swede flickered, getting around the back of the Marseille defence and then seeing a shot deflect off target.
Sead Kolasinac, another ex-Arsenal player, on as a substitute, almost teed up his fellow replacement, Amine Harit, on 75 minutes before Richarlison made his play for the headlines. – Guardian
