Tottenham hold firm for goalless draw against Partizan Belgrade

Partizan Belgrade 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0

Tottenham held firm in intimidating conditions to kick off the Europa League group stage with a hard-fought goalless draw at Partizan Belgrade.

Given that manager Mauricio Pochettino had left five key players in north London for this match, it was always likely to be a tough test, and so it proved.

Spurs defended resolutely at Partizan Stadium, where some home fans displayed what appeared to be an anti-Semitic banner. It was an unsavoury sight, and one Spurs may well complain about to Uefa.

Federico Fazio and Benjamin Stambouli were handed full debuts as Pochettino shuffled the pack after Saturday's 2-2 draw at Sunderland.

The atmosphere was daunting, yet Spurs began well and almost led within 65 seconds. The ball fell to Harry Kane after a corner, and the striker showed composure to shoot from an acute angle, rattling the bar.

Pochettino's men were dominating possession, but Partizan looked dangerous, and on 15 minutes Petar Grbic squared to Danko Lazovic, whose shot was blocked. Partizan stayed on the front foot after the interval, with Danilo Pantic and captain Sasa Ilic missing the target. As firecrackers echoed, Kane was then unable to beat the wall with a free-kick as the clock wound down.