Share

Tottenham held by Olympiakos after blowing two-goal lead

Piraeus - Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino questioned his side's attitude after letting a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 away to Olympiakos in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

Despite a slow start, two goals in four first-half minutes from Harry Kane and Lucas Moura put last season's Champions League finalists on course for what would have been a vital win in Group B.

However, Olympiakos and are now unbeaten in their last 18 games in all competitions stretching back to February and showed why as Daniel Podence and Mathieu Valbuena struck either side of half-time to secure a well-deserved point.

A point away in front of a passionate crowd in Piraeus is not a disastrous start for Pochettino's men, who took just one point from their opening three group games last season before an improbable run to the final.

However, Pochettino is concerned that Spurs have won just two of their opening six games this season and face the might of Bayern Munich next in the Champions League.

"I think it's easy to explain. When we are not showing that intensity that the competition demands, we struggle," said the Argentine.

"It's not about tactics, it's not about quality players, it's about the quality of preparing yourself to be ready to fight.

"At this type of level you need to match the opponent in terms of intensity, aggression, in excitement and motivation and then is going to appear your quality when you are connected with the game."

Olympiakos started brightly and were inches away from the opener when Miguel Angel Guerrero struck the inside of the post and Guilherme's follow-up effort bounced over the bar.

But the hosts gifted Spurs the lead when Kane was needlessly taken out by Yassine Meriah.

Kane saw a rare penalty saved on international duty last week, but the England captain made no mistake from the spot for his 15th goal in 20 Champions League appearances.

Four minutes later the points seemed destined to head back to London when Lucas collected Ben Davies's pass and fired home from outside the box to double Tottenham's advantage.

However, just like when they blew a 2-0 lead away to Arsenal last month, Pochettino's men allowed Olympiakos a lifeline just before the break.

Podence played a lovely one-two with Valbuena, before giving Lloris no chance with a smart finish in the bottom corner.

"We put ourselves in a great position," added Kane. "But conceding a goal before half-time changed the momentum."

Olympiakos levelled nine minutes into the second half when veteran former French international Valbuena was clipped by Jan Vertonghen.

Valbuena dispatched the resulting penalty to give the Greeks belief that a big upset was on.

However, after the 34-year-old Valbuena was replaced for fresher legs, it was the English side that looked the likelier winners in the final half hour.

Jose Sa made a great save to deny Dele Alli his first goal since January and then also stood up to Erik Lamela's near-post blast with Kane left begging for a pass that could have left him with a tap-in.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1797 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1754 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1060 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 448 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 184 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
4% - 246 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE