Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 away at Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Harry Winks of Tottenham Hotspur is fouled by Casemiro of Real Madrid
Hull City defender and occasional pundit Michael Dawson has told Sky Sports’ Soccer Special (17/10/2017) that he felt Tottenham were ‘magnificent’ against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Spurs travelled to the Spanish capital for their third Champions League group stage game of the season, and whilst they beat Borussia Dortmund and APOEL Nicosia in their previous games, few were giving them a chance against Real Madrid.
However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men turned in another superb performance, and actually took the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Harry Kane’s flick from a Serge Aurier cross deflecting into the net via Raphael Varane’s shins.
Tottenham couldn’t hang on until half time though, as Aurier tripped Toni Kroos inside the penalty area, handing Cristiano Ronaldo the chance to score from the spot – and he sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way to put Real on level terms.
Lloris kept Spurs in the game in the second half with some fine saves, whilst Tottenham could have even pinched all three points as Kane and Christian Eriksen squandered late opportunities, but manager Mauricio Pochettino will be delighted with his side’s performance.
Spurs subsequently sit top of their group with seven points in three games, and have put themselves in a superb position to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, after a superb night in Spain.
After the game, former Tottenham captain Michael Dawson spoke to Sky Sports’ Soccer Special about the display, calling their performance ‘magnificent’ having shown ‘great discipline’ throughout.
Dawson also singled out midfielder Harry Winks for praise, commenting on his mature performance in such a high-pressure game, and believes Pochettino will feel like the point was actually three.
“I thought the way Spurs set up, the way they were disciplined, they way everyone defended…they did ride their luck at times though,” said Dawson. “Hugo Lloris made one world class save and one great save, Benzema should have scored two, but Spurs did have a couple of opportunities too. Overall, a magnificent performance with great discipline.”
“I thought Harry Winks in front of the back five, getting on the ball and keeping it well, showed real experience for someone so young going to the Bernabeu in such a big occasion. Mauricio Pochettino, the way he had them set up, will be leaving there feeling like it was a win,” he added.
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