LONDON: Tottenham delivered one of the finest victories in the club’s history as Dele Alli scored twice in a 3-1 defeat of holders Real Madrid in the Champions League Group H at Wembley.
Spurs sealed qualification for the knockout stages in dramatic style, with Alli’s double and a further goal from Christian Eriksen ensuring a memorable night. An injury-weakened Madrid hit back late in the game through an otherwise anonymous Cristiano Ronaldo.
Victory meant Tottenham moved top of the group on 10 points, three ahead of their Spanish opponents with two games remaining. One more victory for Spurs from their final two group games, away at Borussia Dortmund and at home to APOEL Nicosia, will secure top spot.
Paris Saint-Germain, like Spurs and also Manchester City also assured their spots in the knockout stages.
Dele Alli was not surprised that Tottenham were so dominant.
He said: “We spoke after the game at their place and said we couldn’t believe how much space we had at times and that the easy pass looked too obvious at times and we were too sloppy.
“I think we knew that if we were solid at the back we’d get the chances and with the team we’ve got here we don’t just want to be competing with these teams, we want to be winning.
“It was a fantastic performance from us. We stuck to the game plan and made a lot of chances – it could have been more today but we’re very happy with the result.”
Eriksen added: “We played a very professional game. We could have had more if we’d had a bit more composure in the final third.
“This will take us on to the next stage. We need to keep it going. We’re just happy to be through and we can focus on the league now.”
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was keen to focus his players’ minds on the next domestic challenge.
He said: “It gives great belief and confidence to everyone because it’s a great result and we are in the next stage of the Champions League but it’s so important now to keep feet on the grass. We need to be ready to compete against Crystal Palace.”
On Alli, he added: “It was his debut in the Champions League and it was a very, very good performance. He scored twice and he almost made it a hat-trick in the second half.”
Group rivals Borussia Dortmund and APOEL Nicosia drew 1-1 in Germany. Mickael Pote equalised for APOEL early in the second half after Dortmund had led at the break through Raphael Guerreiro.
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