Tottenham Hotspur vs. Monaco: Final score 1-1, good first half and disappointing second

Tottenham Hotspur put together a very solid first half performance against AS Monaco, but fell apart in the dying minutes, and ultimately can't say they deserved any better than their 1-1 draw. It was an even game throughout, and the result is a pretty accurate reflection of the play on the pitch.

Nacer Chadli had Spurs' first big chance in the 20th minute. Harry Kane drew Monaco keeper Danijel Subašić off his line and worked the ball back to Chadli, who tried to chip into the empty net from 20 yards, but shot just wide.

Spurs went ahead 15 minutes later, thanks to some great plays from Erik Lamela at both ends of the pitch. He started the move with a pass to Chadli, who squared to Dele Alli. His shot was saved, but Lamela followed up on his shot and tapped into an empty net.

Two minutes later, Kane was unlucky not to score. Again, Lamela started the attack with a spectacular pass, this time to Alli. He could have shot, but chose to square to Kane, and Subašić made a brilliant save on the Spurs striker's shot from 12 yards.

After that, Monaco were the better side until the halftime whistle. Their best scoring opportunity came in the 43rd minute, when Kieran Trippier gave Adama Traore too much space to operate in on the left wing. He played a ball across the six-yard box for Lacina Traore, but Jan Vertonghen just barely managed to push him off the ball.

Most of the second half was a bit dull, with Spurs taking fewer risks, seemingly content to hold onto their one-goal lead. But they didn't defend quite well enough to pull it off, and the hosts leveled in the 80th minute. Nabil Dirar entered the game four minutes prior to that, and instantly changed it. He played a gorgeous cross to Stephan El Shaarawy on the goal, and the AC Milan loanee rose up above Trippier to head it into the back of the net.

Monaco had a chance to win the game two minutes later, when Dirar forced Hugo Lloris into a save with a stinging shot from 25 yards. Lloris left the ball in a dangerous spot, but Danny Rose got across just quickly enough to clear, preserving a point for Spurs.