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With a slow start, Tottenham seemed to be
missing the Spanish sun, although the hot, steamy night ended on a high
note for Spurs and especially Darren Bent, who helped steer the side to
their second 5-1 win in a couple of days.
A mix and match side was fielded, with
two more games this week and another on Sunday, before a week's rest
ahead of the Roma friendly. It was Darren Bent, who played up
front on his own, with five midfielders, including Bale and Lennon in
support.
But before they could get into the match,
Orient took the lead, just as they had last season. A tackle in
midfield took the ball off Luka Modric and was then fed out to Jason
Demetriou and from fully 30 yards out, he blasted a shot past Oscar
Jansson, starting in goal for Tottenham. The Os player was
not closed down and was allowed to hit his curling shot with time to
spare and this is something the team need to defend better, as it cost
quite a few goals last season.
That was after four minutes and it took a
while to settle down, but Spurs gradually began building moves and from
a corner in the 11th minute, Bale found Huddlestone at the near post and
the ball almost squeezed home, with the goal-scorer Demetriou hacking
the ball to safety. Both sides suffered a blow just after the 15
minute mark, when Simon Dawkins was sadly carried off the pitch on a
stretcher, with ankle damage that might keep him out of Orient's opening
matches as he is on loan at Brisbane Road from Spurs.
There were few chances, as Tottenham
tried to hold onto the ball and Orient tried to battle their way through
to goal. Zokora had a chance to head home when Bale flighted a
free-kick in, but got it wrong and missed the goal, then Michael Dawson
and Jansson doubled up to block Mkandawire as he looked like he might be
in on goal just after the half hour. Bent was energetic and set up
Adel Taarabt, but he couldn't get on the end of the striker's pass, but
when the roles were reversed just before the interval, Bent just got to
the ball ahead of keeper Glenn Morris, but the effort was blocked by his
legs and the ball was cleared away.
So, behind at the break, Spurs needed to
step things up in the second period and so it proved, as they took the
game by the scruff of the neck and put Orient to the sword. It
took less than a minute to pull level. Dos Santos put in a corner,
with a defender going for it and distracting Morris, who could only
direct the ball straight to Darren Bent, who shot home from close range
to make it 1-1.
A minute and a bit later and Spurs were
ahead. Zokora made a pacy break up the right wing and for once,
his cross found a Tottenham head ... surprisingly that of Aaron Lennon,
but the little winger notched his second headed goal of pre-season to
put Tottenham in front.
Another move on the right, this time with
Lennon ghosting past challenges to pull a cross back from the dead ball
line to the far side of the box, where he found Luka Modric coming in.
The Croat took one touch and then blasted the ball past Morris, via a
deflection of Brian Saah, to record his first goal in Tottenham colours
in the 52nd minute. The midfielder was denied another goal three
minutes later, when Morris palmed away a fierce shot.
It was almost exhibition stuff at times,
with a move in the 57th minute involving Lennon crossing to the edge of
the area, where it was met by Jermaine Jenas' overhead kick that missed
going in by a narrow margin, but was too high. However, Jenas was
involved in a slow move, that opened up the Orient defence and put Bent
through on the right side of the box and he ran off a defender and shot
past the keeper from a narrow angle to make it 4-1 and signal the time
for changes, with Modric and Zokora going off for a break, with the game
won.
The rest of the game was played at a
slower pace, with Tottenham adding another goal and it was another for
Darren Bent; his second hat-trick in two games. Giovani held the
ball and turned his marker in the box to pull the ball back for Bent and
it came off a defender, popping up nicely to allow him to hit it first
time, powerfully into the top of the net from about ten yards out.
There was still just under 15 minutes to go at this stage, with Orient
having their best chance of the second half a few minutes after the
fifth goal had gone in. Substitute Pires shot from 25 yards out
and Jansson made a good flying save to push the drive over the bar.
Bent missed a chance when he hit a shot
the keeper straight at the keeper and with time running down, Jamie
O'Hara brought a stretching save from Morris in the Orient goal with a
low dive to stop his drive from 20 yards out.
A useful work out, but one which will
mean little in the long run. Orient are obviously grateful
recipients of the money this game brings in and Spurs are grateful for
the Os staging the Spurs reserve matches at their ground. But with
another win and some good passing and control of the second half, Spurs
keep up their good pre-season run.
PETE STACHIO |
