The Tottenham Way

Let me set the scene here, Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, a relatively mild evening, the pitch is short and slick, 31,275 fans, eagerly anticipating their teams arrival. The two teams arrive on to the pitch, Tottenham Hotspur dressed in all white and Young Boys FC in yellow and black.

Supposedly, men against young boys, a game that Tottenham were expected to win comfortably. One minute in, Lulic for Young Boys on the left of the area shoots with his right foot and the ball rebounds off Gomes’ right post. An anxious moment for Tottenham fans across the world watching on. Was this a sign of things to come or just Spurs starting slow? Unfortunately, it was a sign of things to come as Young Boys received a free kick on the edge of the area, Doubai’s shot rebounded off the back of a team-mate and fell fortunately to the unmarked Lulic took full advantage.

Young Boys 1 – 0 Tottenham

After 13 minutes, things went from bad to worse, and it started with a poor cross-field pass in the Young Boys half. The ball was sent down into Tottenham’s territory and Dawson was too easily turned and beaten for pace by Bienvenu, who fired home for a welcome goal for the Swiss.

Young Boys 2 – 0 Tottenham

Spurs were in disaster mode before the half-hour mark had been reached when Costanzo passed inside Bassong to the grateful Hochstrasser, whose goal had those home fans bouncing.

Young Boys 3 – 0 Tottenham

With Tottenham’s hopes and dreams looking well and truly over, Harry Redknapp’s infamous twitch started to appear, the twitch you get when you’re up shit creek with out a paddle. All Tottenham’s hard work in the premier league the season before dashed in the space of 30 minutes in Bern.

With Tottenham looking down and out, just before the stroke of half time, a corner from Bale was swung in and the villain from the 3rd goal, Bassong, rises above everyone else to crash a header in to the back of the net!

Young Boys 3 – 1 Tottenham

Now all Tottenham needed was another goal to salvage the unsalvageable, but it didn’t come until the 83rd minute, Robbie Keane sharply fed a ball from the right at an angle for Pavlyuchenko who fired a rocket of a shot into the roof of the net with his weaker right foot!

Young Boys 3 – 2 Tottenham

Then came the full time whistle. It was a match of many emotions, with more ups and downs than a ride on Blackpool rollercoaster. With two away goals, all Tottenham need to do is to win 1 – 0 in the 2nd leg at White Hart Lane, but is that the Tottenham way? Not a chance.