August 27, (THEWILL) – A more focused Harry Kane, with the uncertainty of the transfer business behind him, took the captain armband in Tottenham Hotspur second leg of the Europa Conference League playoffs against Pacos de Ferreira and defeated the Portuguese side 3-0 to qualify for the group stages.
After Nuno Espirito Santo fielded a heavily changed team from the one that beat Manchester City in the match before they went to Portugal, Spurs trailed 1-0 on aggregate from a dismal defeat in that away game last week.
Their response was to send in the cavalry in the form of Kane on home soil. The captain did what was expected of his inclusion in the squad to make certain that Spurs were part of the Europa Conference League draw on Friday.
Expectedly, Spurs’ began as the stronger of both sides and Kane’s name could have been on the scoresheet earlier but the forward scooped his one-on-one effort over the Pacos goal when he should have put Spurs ahead just 20 seconds in.
But, it was a warning that the visitors did not clearly address. Nine minutes later, they paid for it because Kane controlled a Bryan Gil low cross to convert and break the deadlock.
Another experienced player in the EPL team, Ryan Sessegnon, missed a couple of chances to tap-in at the back post and Gil struck the woodwork as Spurs went in search of a second while drawing rings around the Pacos de Ferreira squad.
Exactly five minutes after the half hour mark, Kane doubled their advantage. He benefited from team support as some neat work from Giovani Lo Celso to keep the ball out of goalkeeper Andre Ferreira’s hands, allowed him feed the day’s captain, who scarcely missed from such close range.
The remarkable Lo Celso added one goal of his too to make it three for Spurs, 10 minutes after the hour mark, when the Argentine midfielder’s free-kick deflected in to put the game beyond doubt. It knock the Portuguese side off their attempts to progress in the maiden Europa Conference League.
There were more goals that could have been scored. But, Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-min, who both came close to widening the difference on the scoresheet, failed to find the net. Yet, the 3-0 proved to be sufficient enough to see Spurs through.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
