Tottenham Hotspur came back from the brink of elimination to defeat Olympique Marseille 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday to secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
After being placed under pressure by the French side’s attacking ability in the first half, the Spurs’ defense finally caved in during first-half stoppage time when Chancel Mbemba put Marseille in the lead. By this stage, Tottenham had been knocked down from a knockout round qualification spot.
With manager Antonio Conte banned from the sidelines and star midfielder Son Heung-Min going off due to injury, the disadvantaged Spurs side managed to turn their fortunes around when defender Clement Lenglet leveled the scoreline in the 54th minute.
The Premier League giants then sealed their win in a most dramatic fashion as Pierre-Emile Hojberg scored the winner for Tottenham with the last kick of the game in the 95th minute.
Following their victory, Spurs emerged as group winners with 11 points while Marseille finished bottom of the group with six points.
“To be honest, we expected that type of game. The Stade Velodrome is a very difficult place to deal with and I think we showed great personality,” Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris remarked.
