Tottenham 4-0 Wolsfberger AC: Spurs cruise to Europa League Round of 16

It was already pretty much a foregone conclusion, but Tottenham Hotspur hosted Wolfsberger AC in the second leg of their Europa League Round of 32 match. And like in the first match, Spurs made it look easy. Tottenham opened their account with a LUDICROUS overhead goal from Dele, added a brace from Carlos Vinicius, and a blast from Gareth Bale as they cruised past their Austrian opponents. The final score was 4-0 and Spurs advanced with an 8-1 aggregate win.

With a 4-1 advantage in the “away” leg held in Hungary, nobody really expected a super strong team, and Jose Mourinho responded with a B-team in almost every sense. Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min, Tanguy Ndombele, Lucas Moura, Hugo Lloris and Gareth Bale all started on the bench, which also included four Spurs academy youngsters. Joe Hart started in goal, while Toby Alderweireld anchored the back line with Eric Dier. Steven Bergwijn, Erik Lamela and Dele all started behind Carlos Vinicius in attack. The oft-maligned “Winkssoko” midfield was also on display.

Key Moments

First Half

10’ — HOLY MOLY WHAT A GOAL FROM DELE! Dele just played a back and forth with Doherty and then Dele JUGGLED THE BALL AND OVERHEAD KICKED IT IN THE BACK OF THE NET ASLKDJFLKASJDFLKAJSDL;FJ;LJASDL;FJLKAJSD 1-0 SPURS

30’ — Half an hour gone and there hasn’t been much to talk about aside from Dele’s magnificence. Wolfsberg are trying to press, Spurs are dominating possession but aren’t really sharp. A perfectly dull match interrupted by a moment of brilliance.

37’ — Yellow card on Doherty for an Achilles rake along the sideline.

43’ — Nice little play there from Spurs. Doherty played a give and go with Sissoko before firing in a cross. Vinicius got to it but headed it over.

44’ — NEARLY! A great drawback on the break from Vinicius after Lamela won the ball and started a counter. He had Dele wide open at the back post and should’ve passed but rounded the keeper instead and Wolfsberg cleared it off the line.

HALFTIME: It’s pretty much a dead rubber at this point. Spurs lead 1-0 from a spectacular Dele goal and has a 5-1 aggregate lead. Let’s see some kids in the second half.

Second Half

Two halftime subs for Wolfsberg — Pavelic for Novak and Joveljic for Vizinger. None for Spurs. ...YET.

49’ — GOAL! CARLOS VINICIUS! What a cross from Dele, on a plate for Carlos who heads it off the ground and in! 2-0 Spurs!

61’ — Yellow card for Wolfsberg’s Baumgartner.

63’ — Well, it took ²⁄₃ of the match but Joveljic gets Wolfsberg’s first shot on target. Easy save for Hart. And then a yellow for Wernitznig.

65’ — Another Wolfsberg sub: Peric for... ehh, somebody, missed it. Yellow card on Ben Davies for a late challenge.

68’ — First subs for Spurs, and it’s Gareth Bale! He’s on for Lamela, while Lucas comes on for Bergwijn.

73’’ — GOAL! HOLY CRAP GARETH BALE AS YOU REMEMBER HIM! Dele with another assist to a streaking Bale who left foots a rocket into the top corner! That was vintage Gareth. 3-0 Spurs!

74’ — Sub for Spurs immediately after the goal and it’s Marcel Lavinier for his Tottenham debut! He’s on for Matt Doherty. Unfortunately he slipped on the ball and fell over on his first professional touch poor dude.

80’ — Double sub for Spurs and here come the kids! Dane Scarlett and Nile John are both coming on, and it’s a club debut for John. Dele and Sissoko make way.

83’ — GOAL! CARLOS VINICIUS WITH A BRACE! Some pressure on the ball from Scarlett dislodged the ball and Vini sweeps it home! 4-0!

FULL TIME! Winner winner through to the Europa League Round of 16 dinner!

Reactions

• Hey IDK maybe we should play Dele more just a suggestion. A goal and two assists? He’s GOT to play in the league. Yes it was against poor opposition, but Dele was magnificent.
• There’s not a whole lot we can really take from this match, tbh. Tottenham’s B squad is solidly better than the sixth best team in Austria? Sure.
• It was super fun to see the kids play! Scarlett in particular forced a great turnover and might have had a shot if Vini hadn’t nicked it off his feet. Dammit, Carlos! (LOL) I feel bad for DIlan Markanday though who didn’t get off the bench.
• I enjoyed watching a good old fashioned European thumping. It might not be a Premier League match, but it still feels pretty good when Spurs win.
• Dele and the Kids is the name of my Chas & Dave tribute band.
• The Round of 16 Europa League draw will take place on Friday morning at 7:00 a.m. ET. Set your alarms!