Video: Tottenham dominate Dortmund as Wembley goes wild
Mauricio Pochettino hails his side’s fighting spirit after a superb night in the Champions League
Uefa Champions League last-16 first leg Tottenham Hotspur 3 Borussia Dortmund 0
Mauricio Pochettino hailed his “heroes” as Tottenham produced a magnificent second-half performance to thrash Borussia Dortmund 3-0 last night.
Goals from Son Heung-min, Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente capped a wonderful night for the Lilywhites at Wembley Stadium and should see them through to the quarter-finals of the Uefa Champions League.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Fighting spirit
“The team is there, fighting, getting results, they deserve full credit,” said Tottenham manager Pochettino. “The effort they are doing is fantastic.”
It was Spurs’ 22nd match in 81 days in all competitions but there was no sign of fatigue in the second-half as the Germans were put to the sword by their hosts.
Son Heung-min volleyed them into the lead two minutes after the restart and two goals in the last eight minutes have left Dortmund with a daunting challenge in next month’s second leg.
“I don’t have any words for the second half,” said Borussia Dortmund’s young English winger Jadon Sancho.
“We tried our best but they scored and were the better team… we will keep believing we can score more than them and hopefully we can get through to the next round.”
One foot in the last eight
In truth, Dortmund were comprehensively outplayed and Sancho was one of their few players who held his own against a Tottenham side without the injured Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
It was Spurs’ joint-biggest Champions League victory and barring a remarkable turnaround on 5 March the north London side should make it to the last eight for the first time since 2011.
“It was a fantastic second half,” said Pochettino. “In the first half we played a little - not nervously - but not with the confidence. The second half was very, very good. We spoke [at half-time] about our defensive positions and changed things a little. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Son on song
Son found the net for the fourth successive game and his manager expressed his delight that the South Korea international has risen to the challenge in the absence of the injured Kane.
“Son was fantastic again,” Pochettino told The Guardian. “He’s a player that provides the team with a lot of very good things. His smile, he translates good energy and his performance in every game is improving. We’re so happy.”
Advantage Madrid
In the night’s other Champions League tie, Real Madrid claimed what BBC Sport described as a “fortunate win at Ajax”.
The defending champions take a 2-1 advantage back to Madrid thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, either side of a strike from Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech. But the Dutch side dominated their visitors and spurned several opportunities to score.
When Nicolas Tagliafico did put the ball in the back of the Real net it was ruled out by the first Champions League video assistant referee (VAR) consultation.
VAR is being used for the knockout phases of the competition and referee Damir Skomina disallowed Tagliafico’s header because team-mate Dusan Tadic was fractionally offside when the ball hit the net.
“I have said many times that I am a great defender of the VAR because it will make football fairer little by little,” said Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.
Last-16 results, fixtures and TV guide
Last-16 first-leg results
- Manchester United 0 Paris Saint-Germain 2
- AS Roma 2 FC Porto 1
- Ajax 1 Real Madrid 2
- Tottenham Hotspur 3 Borussia Dortmund 0
Tuesday 19 February first-leg fixtures
- Liverpool vs. Bayern Munich (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra)
- Lyon vs. Barcelona (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra)
Wednesday 20 February first-leg fixtures
- Atlético Madrid vs. Juventus (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra)
- FC Schalke vs. Manchester City (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra)
Last-16 second leg fixtures Tuesday 5 March
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Tottenham Hotspur (0-3 on aggregate; 8pm, live on BT Sport)
- Real Madrid vs. Ajax (2-1 on aggregate; 8pm, live on BT Sport)
Wednesday 6 March
- FC Porto vs. Roma (1-2 on aggregate; 8pm, live on BT Sport)��
- Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester United (2-0 on aggregate; 8pm, live on BT Sport)
Tuesday 12 March
- Juventus vs. Atlético Madrid (8pm, live on BT Sport)
- Manchester City vs. FC Schalke (8pm, live on BT Sport)
Wednesday 13 March
- Barcelona vs. Lyon (8pm, live on BT Sport)
- Bayern Munich vs. Liverpool (8pm, live on BT Sport)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Giant TVs are becoming the next big retail commodity
Under the Radar Some manufacturers are introducing TVs over 8 feet long
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?
The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
The 'Swiss model' shaking up the Champions League
In The Spotlight Uefa says the new format offers 'greater excitement' but critics say boredom is guaranteed
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The European Super League: a 90th-minute reprieve?
Why everyone's talking about A European court ruling has potentially breathed new life into the breakaway football league
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
‘Genuine visionary’: is Pep Guardiola the greatest of all time?
feature Spaniard has now won two trebles following Man City’s Champions League triumph
By The Week Staff Published
-
Champions League final: Man City vs. Inter predictions and preview
feature Can Guardiola’s team finally win the Champions League and complete a historic treble?
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Uefa Champions League 2022-2023 guide: group stage draw and key dates
feature Liverpool face Rangers while Man City’s Erling Haaland has a reunion with Dortmund
By Mike Starling Published
-
Uefa Champions League final: blame game begins for chaos in Paris
feature Liverpool call for an investigation as Uefa are accused of a ‘narrative of lies’
By Mike Starling Published
-
2022 Uefa Champions League final: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid preview, predictions and TV
feature Everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s showpiece in Paris
By Mike Starling Last updated