Sevilla (Away)
UEFA Cup Quarter final 1st leg

Thursday 5th April 2007

 
 

With a quarter final draw against Sevilla, Tottenham will face their toughest test in the UEFA Cup so far.

The current holders are second in La Liga, with a good record and have made great strides as a club over the last three years, as the side has been moving in the right direction under coach Juande Ramos, who has been touted as the replacement for Jose Mourinho if he leaves Chelsea this summer.

The last few games have probably seen Spurs in better domestic form, with five straight wins, while the home team have been playing well enough, although Sevilla's last game was a 0-0 draw with fellow UEFA Cup quarter finalists Osasuna, coming after a win over Celta Vigo and before that a 0-1 reverse to minnows Gimnastica.

Fredi Kanoute leads the scoring charts with 19 in La Liga and we know about his ability and technical skill, but alongside him the speedy Chevanton might test the central defenders of Tottenham and Russian Kerzahkov will show Spurs he means business after scoring four goals for his country in the European Championship qualifiers this season.  Keeper Palop was rested at the weekend along with Brazilian Daniel Alves, who is wanted by Liverpool among others and was joined in the stand by Kanoute.

Former West Brom midfielder Enzo Maresca has played for Juventus too and has found a home at Sevilla, where he is playing the best football of his career.  A talented runner with the ball and a good passer, Maresca is also a goal-scorer as he likes to get in the box from midfield.  Defender Escude at right back is a speedy player, who is another who likes to attack along the line, while Christian Poulsen is a tough and hard-working midfielder.

However, Spurs have put in some really good performances in the UEFA Cup and showed that their players can play the European game, but will find a Sevilla side hard to beat, as they don't concede too many goals and are good going forward.  A bit like Tottenham really, so you might think it will be a goal-laden match, but with so much at stake, it might turn into a tighter match than you might otherwise wish.  With the second leg at home, Spurs need a goal to come home with and therefore, anything that goes in at the right end will be a bonus, but we need to play our normal game and not try to defend ... otherwise, it could end up going wrong ...

PREDICTION : -  Sevilla  1   Tottenham Hotspur   1

 
 
PLAYERS UNAVAILABLE

SEVILLA :  Luis Fabiano (suspended)

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR : -  Ledley King (foot); Anthony Gardner (leg); Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee); Tom Huddlestone (knee); Dorian Dervite (knee); Danny Murphy (Achilles); Ricardo Rocha (cup-tied)

 
 
Coverage

TV
ITV 1 - (live coverage)
For coverage in all parts of the world, check here and here
.

Radio :  
BBC LONDON 94.9FM (London area only), Digital Radio (London area only) &  Sky Channel 0152
 (live coverage)
BBC Radio Five Live (live coverage)  606/939 MW

If available on BBC radio, it can supposedly be heard in these countries on these stations ...
Australia (Melbourne) SEN  -  116 AM  Live Transmissions: TWI, Saturday. 12.45 & 1500 matches
Australia (Sydney)  Radio 2  -  1611AM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 12.45 Match
Singapore Media Corp Radio  -  93.8 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
South Africa  SABC (Radio 2000)  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
Uganda  Radio 1 (English) 90.0 FM, Radio 2 (Lugandan) 87.9 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
North America (USA, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean)  Sirius Satellite Radio  Live transmission: Saturday - 12.45, 15.00 (TWI) & 17.15 (BBC) Sunday - 14.00 & 16.05 (BBC) Mon, Tue, Wed - Various times (BBC)

Internet :
www.spurs.co.uk   Live webcast  - subscribers only
Planet football -
http://play.www.planetfootball.servecast.net/downloads/sky/spurs-pl04-kean0.ram (free - only available when match is on.)
BBC London -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/10/12/live_commentaries_feature.shtml click on link to "Listen to Tottenham Hotspur live commentary" on top right hand menu.

 
 
 

 

 

Sevilla   2   Tottenham Hotspur    1      (Half-time score : 2-1)

UEFA Cup Quarter final 1st leg
Venue : -  Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium
Thursday 5th April 2007
Kick Off :  7.45 p.m.
Crowd :   32,000
Referee :  Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)
Weather :  -  Warm
Teams : - 
Sevilla :

Palop

Javi Navarro (c)
David (Dragutinovic 68)
Daniel Alves
Escude

Renato (Marti 60)
Poulsen
Adriano Correia
Jesus Navas

Kerzhakov
Kanoute

Unused subs
Cobeno
Duda
Chevanton
Hinkel
Maresca 

Tottenham Hotspur :

Robinson

Stalteri
Chimbonda
Dawson
YP Lee

Lennon (Malbranque 80)
Zokora
Jenas
Tainio (Ghaly 84)

Keane (c)
Berbatov

Unused subs
Cerny
Mido
Defoe
Taarabt
Ifil

Colours : -  (kits courtesy of http://www.colours-of-football.com)
Sevilla

Tottenham Hotspur
Scorers : -  
Sevilla

Kanoute (p) 19
Kerzhakov 36

Tottenham Hotspur

Keane 2

Cards : -  
Sevilla

     
David (foul) 31 


 

    

Tottenham Hotspur 

     
Robinson (dissent) 18
Tainio (dissent) 34
Lee (foul) 46
Zokora (foul) 53

     

Match Report : -  
Having taken the lead before we knew what was happening in this first leg in Sevilla, it was then a blow to be undone by a slack refereeing decision that paved the way to take a 2-1 lead into the game at White Hart Lane next week.

With a start that saw Spurs comfortably stroking the ball about and creating two chances inside the opening two minutes, you might have thought we were the home side.  Berbatov and Keane linked neatly in the first attack and as a ball was played forward, appeals for handball went up from the Tottenham strikers.  No penalty was the decision, but moments later, Lee played the ball in from the left to Berbatov, who lazily slipped it through the square defence for Robbie to run onto it in the box.  His first effort was blocked as the keeper closed him down, but fortune favoured the Irishman and he got the bounce of the ball to go on and steady himself before passing the ball left-footed into the vacant net to put Spurs ahead after just 68 seconds.

It was a great start and for about ten minutes Spurs looked like they would stroll through this match, which looked unlikely when the draw was made.  Perhaps we should have seen the signs of what was to come, as the ref from Luxembourg started to give a procession of free-kicks to the home side for any contact at all.  Berbatov and Tainio were the most culpable in the official's eyes, as every time they jumped for a ball, it resulted in a foul against them.

Neither side was really threatening until around the quarter of an hour mark, when Berbatov cut inside and thrashed a shot that flew well wide.  From the goal-kick, the ball travelled up to the Spurs goal and Paul Stalteri headed the ball back to Robinson, but it hit Dawson and fell for Adriano to seize on and as he tried to take it around the Spurs goalie, he fell under the challenge.  To most onlookers, it appeared that ENO had got two hands on the ball and the midfielder fell over his arms as the ball travelled away from him.  However, the ref pointed straight to the spot and Spurs had to face a penalty from ex-Tottenham forward Fredi Kanoute.  Perhaps it was fate that decreed that Kanoute would score against us, as he coolly sent Robbo the wrong way before slowly passing the ball into the net, but in such a cruel way was not in the plan.

The booking that Robinson picked up for dissent at the decision summed up the frustration of the team.  It is hard enough coming to the home of the current holders, but when the ref clearly gives a crap decision, then it is hard to take.  It rattled the side and Sevilla had their best period of the game following the penalty.

Spurs tried to hit back straight away with Keane pulling a save out of Palop from a 12 yard snap-shot, but most of the play headed towards the Tottenham goal.  Many balls that were played in came from the string of free-kicks, but luckily, most were unable to beat the first man in the area and were cleared.  Jenas and Navas exchanged shots, with David earning a booking for callously pulling down Lennon on the one occasion in the half when he got away from his marker.  Tainio soon picked up a yellow card for persistent fouling.

With the play moving to the Spurs end, Chimbonda cleared a cross for a corner.  As it was swung in, the ball went up in the air to the far post, where Dawson tried to head clear, but the ball went up in the air and Escude nodded the ball back into the danger area.  As it flew into the six yard box, Karkahzov stooped to twist and head the ball wide of Robbo and in to put the home side into the lead on 35 minutes.

Spurs had a great chance on 38 minutes, when Young-Pyo Lee, who had another good game, was going nowhere in the left hand corner of the pitch at the Sevilla end and was fouled.  Jenas played the ball across with pace from the free-kick and stealing in behind everyone, Michael Dawson crouched to head the ball as it went to the far post, where he got a good head on it, but it went wide of the goal. 

While Sevilla had the bulk of the play at this stage of the game, they only had one more shot from Karkhazov to show for it as he cut in from the left to fire a powerful shot on goal that dipped just too late and flew a foot over the top.  Tottenham did well to work hard and stifle the threat from Alves on the right and Kanoute up front.  With Chimbonda having to play at centre-half, it was always going to be a "best fit" team, but Pascal did well with his tackles and while he had problems against the taller Malian international in the air, he always put in a jump to let Kanoute know he was there.

Turning around one down was a disappointment, but more so was the trouble in the Tottenham sector, which saw Spanish police steaming in with batons flailing.  There has been little trouble at any of the Tottenham games abroad this season and it was therefore surprising that it was in evidence at this game.  Some looked like it was just pushing and shoving with the police, but there were seats thrown and some fans needed medical attention for wounds sustained from the police's attacks.

On the pitch, the second half started with more physical contact, as Young-Pyo Lee got a caution for going in studs up on Alves, who got kicked in the ankle after Lee had played the ball and the Brazilian lay on the floor holding his shin up near his knee !!  Zokora followed his colleague into the book seven minutes later, as he tripped Navas as he ran past him.

The opening exchanges of the second half were untidy and with the hour mark approaching Tottenham started to pass the ball better and created a shooting opportunity for Keane, but he put his effort wide of the right hand post.  Kanoute ran onto a low ball into the area from the left, but Lee's attention was enough to force him into an early shot that went wide and Tottenham were awarded a free-kick thirty yards out, which Jenas took and cleared the netting behind the Sevilla goal !!

With about 25 minutes remaining in the game, Sevilla had started making substitutions and appeared to be settling for the 2-1 win.  This allowed Tottenham to push forward, as the pressure was no longer on our midfield to track back nor on the defence to tie up the forwards, who dropped deeper.  With this new-found freedom, the pressure was going towards the home goal.  Malbranque and Ghaly came on for Lennon and Tainio, while Zokora (our new Freund) hit a shot wide under pressure and a good move gave Steed a shooting opportunity from just inside the box, but he rushed it and shot into the ground and wide with five minutes left.

With Sevilla now conceding free-kicks, it was their turn to face balls played into their area.  One bounced around and Tottenham players stood claiming a handball when they might have been better off trying to latch onto the loose ball that was there to be had in the penalty box.

At the final whistle, it was a strange feeling.  Having lost and lost our unbeaten record in this year's competition, it felt odd, but with the away goal and a narrow defeat, perhaps the second leg will be more of a one-off game than the second leg for Tottenham.  Sevilla will want to cancel out our away goal with one of their own, so might leave space to be attacked, but Spurs must make sure they do not leave holes for the Spanish side to make the most of.

it will be an intriguing match and one which will pit Jol's wits against those of a shrewd Ramos.  It may be the braver who wins.

ISAAC GREGORY

 

 

 
 

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Other scores this round :
Espanyol (SPA) 3 Benfica (POR) 2 Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 0 Osasuna (SPA) 3 Thursday
AZ Alkmaar (HOL) 0 Werder Bremen (GER) 0 Thursday

 

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