Slovenian Minnows Mura Prove More Than Spurs Bargained For

Thursday 25th November 2021

Match Report

NS Mura 2 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur

Venue: Stadion Ljudski Vrt, Maribor, Slovenia

Competition: Europa Conference League Group G

"Pre-Match Thoughts – Even a second string Spurs side should have what it takes to win in Slovenia against minnows Mura. Conte said rotation is required due to tiredness and so he can see other players, notably Ryan Sessegnon who the new boss seems to have taken a shine to. I think we'll see some hungry performances and win it 4-1."

There were nine changes from the line-up against Leeds, Kane and Tanganga the only two names that remained. It presented great chances for the likes of Ndombele, Alli, Gil and Rodon to show what they can do.

We saw a drab start to the game with Mura fans cheering on their side as Spurs nonchalantly settled into the game.

It was a worrying sign of complacency and after ten minutes Mura punished them – cutting in from the right-wing Horvat wrong-footed Sánchez to the point of him falling over. It allowed the Mura midfielder time to take a free shot at goal from inside the area which he took full advantage of by smashing into the top left corner. 1-0.

Half an hour in and things went from bad to worse as Sessegnon flew into a 50/50 having already been booked and it was reckless enough for him to receive a second yellow and his marching orders.

Spurs found themselves a goal and a man down in what was shaping up to be a torrid night in Slovenia.

Kane came closest to equalising as he turned a defender in the box before placing one just wide of the right post.

"Thoughts at Half-Time – Shocking first half showing that hasn't done the likes of Alli, Doherty, Sessegnon and Co any favours. Spurs haven't got going. Everything's been at half pace and now we're down to ten men. There's a mountain to climb in the second half, let's hope they can manage it."

Not much had changed in the opening stages of the half and Conte reacted by making a quadruple substitution on 53 minutes with Rodon, Doherty, Alli and Gil making way for Dier, Davies, Son and Moura.

Son looked to make an immediate impact as he picked up the ball and dribbled at the Mura defence. He went on and on until eventually finding a shot that was palmed up and over for a corner.

The Korean took the corner and found Kane with a free header. He headed it down but it bounced straight up into the hands of the keeper. It was beginning to look like one of those nights…

With twenty to go Mura began to tire and sat back defending while Spurs tried to break them down.

On 72 we found the equaliser as Moura's pass snuck through the backline and found Kane in down the right side of the area. He took a couple of touches to draw the keeper out then from a tight angle chipped it over him and into the far side of the net. Lovely finish. 1-1.

Spurs pushed for a winner deep into stoppage time and Tanganga attempted a back header from a Son free-kick but it sailed over the bar and it looked like that was that.

Suddenly Davies slipped and lost possession in their half and a first time ball was played over the top for Maroša to run onto with seconds remaining. Sánchez tracked him back before being turned inside far too easily for a second time. Maroša got the shot away and Sánchez slid in to recover but in doing so diverted it up and over Gollini into the back of the net. It sent the Slovenians into raptures and won it for them in what was the last kick of the match.

"Thoughts at Full-Time – Another embarrassing result on another drab, dreary European night in that ridiculous purple strip where nothing gets going apart from the minnow side's supporters. Most Spurs players didn't do themselves any favours, and now we have to beat Rennes in the final group game to advance to the knockout stages."

Tottenham Player Ratings

• 22. Pierluigi Gollini – 5 – Not much he could do for either goal and they were the only times he was tested.

• 6. Davinson Sánchez – 3 – Took a tumble for their first goal, beaten far too easily. Turned inside again for the second and diverted it into the net with his desperate recovering lunge. Nightmare night for him after looking strong coming on against Leeds.

• 14. Joe Rodon – 6 – Won his duels and didn't do much wrong. Hopefully we get to see a bit more of him now.

• 25. Japhet Tanganga – 5 – Showed versatility being shifted out to left-back following Sessegnon's dismissal, struggled there, but looked better at right-back after being shifted a second time.

• 2. Matt Doherty – 3 – Terrible. Kept losing the ball. Didn't get much time playing right wing-back due to Sessegnon's red card.

• 28. Tanguy Ndombele – 5 – Played the odd decent pass but struggled to take hold of the game and make a real impact.

• 29. Oliver Skipp – 6 – Went about his defensive duties as per but didn't provide much incisiveness.

• 19. Ryan Sessegnon – 2 – Silly to see himself sent off for two reckless yellows in the first half an hour. May have blown a big chance to become part of Conte's setup.

• 11. Bryan Gil – 4 – Tried to make things happen and did a few of his winding dribbles. His final ball was always off though and he kept losing possession.

• 20. Dele Alli – 3 – Another bad night for Dele. Looked slow and lacking sharpness as the ball seemed to keep getting stuck under his feet.

• 10. Harry Kane – 6.5 – Took his goal well. Looked determined to win it for us even if all by himself in the second half. Unfortunately that led to him over-playing and losing it in tired moments.

Substitutions:

• 14. Joe Rodon <-- 53' --> 15. Eric Dier – 5 – Stabilised the defence but his distribution wasn't great.

• 2. Matt Doherty <-- 54' --> 33. Ben Davies – 5 – Looked assured in his tackles and was doing well until he slipped and gave the ball away in the build-up to their winning goal.

• 11. Bryan Gil <-- 54' --> 27. Lucas Moura – 5 – Slid through Kane for his goal. Threatened with a long-shot but it was always rising.

• 20. Dele Alli <-- 54' --> 7. Son Heung-min – 5 – Quick to get on the ball and try to make things happen. Didn't manage to find a breakthrough.

• 28. Tanguy Ndombele <-- 76' --> 5. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 5 – Came on and ran around. Couldn't drive the team forward enough to find another goal.

Man of the Match – Nobody