“They knew what was going on”: Marseille player makes incredible claim after 2-1 Tottenham win

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Marseille defender Chancel Mbemba has been speaking after Tottenham came from behind to win Group D in the Champions League, where he made an incredible claim.

Marseille squandered Europa League vs Tottenham

Well, the DR Congo international has revealed that he and his Marseille teammates had no idea that a draw against Spurs would have at least seen them move into the Europa League.

The French giants were set to finish third in Group D if the match had ended 1-1 inside the Stade Vélodrome, although they bizarrely pushed men forward, only to leave Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg open to steal all three points in the 95th minute.

Mbemba was the only man in white back defending, much to the despair of Igor Tudor, who was literally on the pitch warning his players to get back – however, it was too late.

Ultimately, Sporting Lisbon finished third – one point ahead of Marseille – and pinched the Europa League spot, despite having a worse goal difference than the Ligue 1 outfit.

Speaking to beIN Sports after the game, Mbemba said: “It hurts a lot. On the bench, they knew what was going on with Sporting. For us, there was a lack of communication.”

Now, that is an astonishing revelation, and the lack of communication has cost Marseille European football for the rest of the season – how could such a simple message not get across to those on the pitch?

Tottenham won’t care, as they now have an ‘easier’ opponent awaiting them in the Round of 16 after winning the group – they will face a side who finished second in their group, whereas a group winner would’ve awaited them had they finished second.

To make things even sweeter for Spurs, it was an old Arsenal player in Matteo Guendouzi who gave the ball away before Kane and Højbjerg raced off, while Alexis Sanchez, Nuno Tavares and Sead Kolasinac were also in the Marseille side.

Tottenham showed grit vs Marseille

In the opening 45 minutes in Marseille last night, Tottenham looked set to bottle it – they seemed extremely nervous, and a win looked almost unthinkable.

However, just like they did against Bournemouth on Saturday, Spurs showed some grit to grind out another win.

There has been a clear mentality shift under Antonio Conte, and if Tottenham can keep picking up wins even when not at their best, they should have a successful season.