Tottenham 1-0 Slavia Praha

---------------Robinson---------------
-Chimbonda---Dawson---King---Lee-
--Jenas--Murphy--Zokora--Ziegler--
-----------Keane-----Mido-----------

Tottenham: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Davenport, Young-Pyo Lee, Jenas, Murphy (Ghaly 71), Zokora, Ziegler (Tainio 63), Keane, Mido.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone, Ifil, Assou-Ekotto, Charlie Lee.

Booked: Tainio.

Goals: Keane 80.

Slavia Prague: Kozacik, Krajcik, Latka, Suchy, Hubacek, Janda (Vlcek 63), Jarolim, Hrdlicka (Kalivoda 74), Svec, Svento, Fort (Necid 78).
Subs Not Used: Divis, Dosoudil, Gaucho, Aracic.

Booked: Latka.

Att: 35,191.

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7-YFPFMVHQ

Much like the first leg of this UEFA Cup 1^st round tie, it was job done for Spurs with a professional, but unconvincing performance. In the context of the season so far, this has to go down as a missed opportunity to gain some momentum against a functional Slavia side.

Jol made three changes to the starting line up from the Liverpool game recalling Mido and Lee Young Pyo. The biggest surprise was a first start of the season, and indeed for well over a year, for Reto Ziegler. It may have been expected that the thinking was for Ziegler to provide the natural width on the left that players such as Tainio and Davids, who have started there this season, could not. However, Ziegler drifted into the centre as much as either of those players do, which can only lead to the conclusion that Jol is making a direct decision to play with a compact non-expansive midfield, rather than through the necessity of having no real left winger in the squad. Ziegler himself failed to make the kind of impact that a player who has been out of consideration for so long would have liked to. His whipped set piece deliver, which has been effective in recent reserve games, gave a nice variation to the numerous corners and free kicks that Slavia conceded, but his general play and link up with Lee on the left was disappointing.

A brisk start saw several chances for Spurs to assume control on the night with an early goal. Keane, in particular had two fairly straightforward opportunities to break his duck for the season in the first half. Unfortunately he was unable to get a touch on Davenport’s header from a Jenas corner and later shot straight at the keeper following Murphy’s cross from the right.

The second half saw an increasingly nervous Spurs allow Slavia to get into the match, with their right back Krajcik going close with two powerful drives that sailed over Robinson’s goal. Frequently, Spurs looked simply to keep possession and kill time, to the apparent frustration of the home crowd expecting a different attitude on a much anticipated return of European football to White Hart Lane.

The catalyst for a change in emphasis was Hossam Ghaly, who entered the fray on 71 minutes for the dwindling Murphy. The Egpytian, as he had done against Manchester United, immediately looked to be direct and progressive playing from the right flank and put in several decent balls, before chesting down Zokora’s cross in the area for Keane to fire home. The relief at the goal which secured a place in the group stages of the competition was tangible, no more so than on the Spurs bench. With the burden lifted, Spurs started to play some decent football, most of it channelled through Ghaly who created another goal for Keane which was ruled offside and crossed perfectly for Mido to miss a point blank header in the dying minutes.

Spurs man of the match: Hossam Ghaly – it says something about the way the match panned out that a player who was on the pitch for merely twenty minutes was Spurs most effective player. Ghaly has surely shown enough in his two appearances this season to suggest that he could finally be given a run in the team