Tottenham beat Villarreal 1-0 at home as Thomas Frank’s side secured a narrow victory in his first Champions League game as head coach.
A spine-tingling atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before kick-off had barely simmered down before Luiz Junior spilled the ball into his own net from a Lucas Bergvall cross to give the hosts the lead in just the fourth minute.
That goal marked Spurs’ fastest in the history of the tournament and while the showing in the first half hinted that they would add to their tally, the performance quickly tapered off following the restart.
Player ratings: Simons shines
Tottenham: Vicario (7), Porro (7), Van de Ven (7), Romero (7), Spence (7), Sarr (6), Bergvall (8), Bentancur (6), Kudus (6), Simons (8), Richarlison (6).
Subs: Palhinha (6), Udogie (6), Johnson (n/a), Kolo Muani (n/a).
Villarreal: Luiz Junior (4), Foyth (5), Mikautadze (5), Renato Veiga (6), Comesana (5), Mourino (5), Buchanan (4), Gueye (4), Pepe (7), Ayoze Perez (5), Cardona (5).
Subs: Pedraza (6), Akhomach (6), Parejo (n/a), Partey (n/a), Moleiro (n/a)
A rejuvenated Villarreal came out after the break, coupled with a degree of sloppiness from Frank’s men, leading to a shift in momentum.
Clear-cut chances were few and far between but Micky van de Ven did provide a late scare for his team after finding himself on the wrong side of Georges Mikautadze before bundling the forward to the ground just outside the area.
A swift VAR check confirmed the decision of a free-kick and a yellow card for the defender.
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On this edition of The Verdict, we break down how Thomas Frank has reason to be pleased with his side’s narrow Champions League victory over Villarreal
“It didn’t look top. I needed a bit of hope,” a relieved Frank said after the game. “I’ve seen it back, he is clearly outside the box and he was a little bit ahead.”
Spurs eventually limped to the final whistle to ensure all three points were secured in their first Champions League game since March 2023.
Thomas Partey came on as a late substitute, ahead of a scheduled court appearance in the UK. Partey will appear at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday to face charges of five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, all of which he denies.
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Villarreal’s Luiz Junior scores an own goal against Tottenham
Frank: Big win but we struggled going forward
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank:
“I thought it was a big win. Any competition it’s good to get three points and get a good start.
“Happy with the clean sheet. Extremely good and limited Villarreal to little.
“Offensively, we struggled to create something against a good team that also defended very well with their 4-4-2 structure.
“It was a very even game that we edged in the end. I like that our foundation is strong. Obviously, we are building the offensive structure more.
“There was a spell in the second half where we had the ball away every time we had it. We will raise that level.”
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Tottenham boss Thomas Frank and Lucas Bergvall after the 1-0 win against Villarreal
Bergvall: Frank a breath of fresh air
Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall speaking to Amazon Prime:
“New, fresh air. We talked a lot about ‘clean sheet mentality’ this year because we conceded a lot last year.
“My relationship with him is really good. I just want to get back to the form I had at the end of last year, and I feel like I am. I have help from him and the video analysts to get better every day.”
On the game itself, Bergvall added: “It was really tough. Villarreal did a great performance but a 1-0 win at home is amazing.
“We managed to get three points today and they did not have a shot on target, so we did a really good job.”