LONDON: A little over a year ago, Tottenham drew 2-2 at Wembley against the Belgian side Gent. It might have been their lowest moment under Mauricio Pochettino. Dele Alli was sent off for a spiteful lunge and they never looked like getting the better of limited opponents who had won the first leg 1-0. Tottenham had gone out of the Europa League in the last 32 and two mighty narratives were in full flow: Tottenham couldn’t play in Europe and they couldn’t play at Wembley.
Since then they have won 17 and lost just two of 23 matches they have played at the national stadium, having moved in full-time while White Hart Lane is rebuilt. They have beaten Borussia Dortmund home and away, taken four points off Real Madrid and come from 2-0 down to draw away to Juventus. Their progress has been spectacular.
This, perhaps, is Tottenham’s greatest strength. They may not have the budget of other top-six clubs, and they may live in constant fear of their squad being scattered by richer rivals, but they learn faster than anybody else.
At the heart of both the team and that ethos is Harry Kane. He is the Premier League’s joint top-scorer with 24 goals this season and averages 5.8 shots per game, 1.8 more than anybody else in the league.
Any suggestion he is selfish, though, could not be more wrong, as his remarkable hanging cross for Son Heung-min on Saturday demonstrated.
He himself has said that he regards his performances against Madrid, when he did not score but worked tirelessly to hold the ball up, as his best of the season.
“I think, he is very good not only at scoring goals but linking, assisting, working for the team,” Pochettino said at the weekend. “I think he is a great player. Of course, you need a good mentality and willingness to work. What the offensive players like is to have the ball and shoot and score goals, and then when they need to work and run in behind to the ball and try to chase the opponent, put pressure on, that is the more difficult part to teach, to make them available to run for the team.”
Nobody in the Premier League needs any convincing of Kane’s excellence but the next stage for him is a truly dominant performance either in a big game for England or in a Champions League knockout match.
His display in Turin came close as he harried Juventus constantly in possession, posed a persistent threat and, having been thwarted by one remarkable save from Gianluigi Buffon, took his goal with great style, banging his finish authoritatively into an empty net, even though the act of taking the ball round the goalkeeper forced him wide.
Kane is well aware of the strides Spurs have made this season, particularly in Europe where they have shown they can play a patient game if needed. “We made a big step in that respect by what we did in the group stage,” he said, “and now we have got to try and do it against the big teams consistently.”
Given how Juventus wobbled in the face of Tottenham’s pressing, though, it would be a surprise if they sat off at Wembley. This is a chance for one of the great nights in the club’s history, a great step in the development both of Tottenham and Kane.
Harry Kane central to Tottenham’s chances in Juventus clash
Harry Kane central to Tottenham’s chances in Juventus clash
Messi’s son debuts at Argentina youth tournament as grandparents watch
- The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team
- Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play
BUENOS AIRES: Thiago Messi, the eldest son of the Argentina star, has made his debut in the “Newell’s Cup” tournament in the countryside city of Rosario.
The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team, which lost 1-0 on Monday to host Newell’s Old Boys in the traditional under-13 competition. The team also played Tuesday.
Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer in the Argentinian club in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of capital Buenos Aires.
Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play. Lionel Messi did not attend.
Thiago, who was substituted in the second half, played with his friend Benjamin Suarez, son of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, Messi’s teammate and close friend at Barcelona and now at Inter Miami.
Messi and Suarez are in Rosario after Inter Miami’s early elimination in the MLS playoffs. On Sunday, they watched a friendly game of Inter Miami’s U13 team against Union at the same sports complex.
The youth tournament in Argentina brings together eight teams from North and South America.
Salah ‘in a good place’ at Liverpool despite contract impasse, says Slot
- Slot: The only thing I can say is that if I look at my lineups, Mo is more in than out
- The latest contracts of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also due to expire at the end of this season
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes Mohamed Salah is “in a good place” and isn’t affected by his contract impasse with the club.
Salah’s latest deal expires at the end of this season and he told reporters after Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Southampton on Sunday that he was disappointed not to have received a new contract offer, saying: “I’m probably more out than in.”
The issue dominated Liverpool’s news conference ahead of Wednesday’s match against Real Madrid in the Champions League, with Slot keen to play down any friction with Salah — and even suggested the situation is making the winger play as well as ever.
“I don’t think it distracts Mo at all,” Slot said Tuesday. “Maybe it even brings the best out of him if you look at his performances until now.
“I talk to Mo about what I expect from him, like I do with all the other players, and he is in a good place at the moment. I’m not distracted by his comments and I don’t feel his teammates are.”
Salah has scored 12 goals in 18 appearances for Liverpool this season and is second in the Premier League with 10 goals in 12 games, only behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (12 goals).
Slot even quipped: “The only thing I can say is that if I look at my lineups, Mo is more in than out.”
The latest contracts of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also due to expire at the end of this season.
“In fairness, it goes for all three of them — Mo, Virgil and Trent are all in similar positions,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said. “Every one of them is so focused on the next game and training and preparing properly.”
Giannis-less Bucks edge Heat, Rockets advance in NBA Cup
- Lillard hit 10-of-17 from the floor and 8-of-13 from 3-point range while passing off 12 assists as the Bucks improved to 3-0 in group play
- All 30 league clubs play for the NBA Cup in an in-season tournament with teams divided into six groups of five for round-robin play in hopes of advancing to December knockout rounds
WASHINGTON: Damian Lillard scored 37 points to lead Milwaukee to victory at Miami 106-103 in the NBA Cup on Tuesday despite playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a knee injury.
Lillard hit 10-of-17 from the floor and 8-of-13 from 3-point range while passing off 12 assists as the Bucks improved to 3-0 in group play while the Heat slid to 1-2 and never led.
“It’s a game of runs. I got off to a hot start,” Lillard said. “I didn’t try to force the issue. I didn’t want to be passive. I tried to stay aggressive. I was getting the ball out. We just made good plays.”
All 30 league clubs play for the NBA Cup in an in-season tournament with teams divided into six groups of five for round-robin play in hopes of advancing to December knockout rounds with games also counting in the regular-season standings.
The Houston Rockets qualified for the quarter-finals but the surprise was in Miami, where Greek star Antetokounmpo was a late scratch with a left knee injury, leaving Lillard to take the scoring load.
A 26-9 Heat run to end the third quarter cut a 22-point Milwaukee lead to 85-80 entering the fourth and a 16-7 Miami run lifted the hosts level at 96-96 with 4:02 to play.
Milwaukee’s A.J. Green and Miami’s Terry Rozier traded 3-pointers late, the last by Rozier lifting the Heat within 104-103 with 30 seconds remaining.
Green sank another 3-pointer but it was launched just after a shot-clock violation and wiped out, giving Miami the ball with five seconds to play.
Miami’s Tyler Herro missed a 3-point shot and Milwaukee’s Taurean Prince sank two free throws with 1.2 seconds left, setting the stage for a Rozier 3-point miss at the buzzer.
“Guys made shots, played aggressive, we got some stops when we needed it, we made some free throws and that’s what it takes to win close games,” Lillard said.
“We’ve just had a lot of experience in these games where we have lulls in the second half and get into a dogfight. We let a few go early in the season... everybody wants to improve. We want to get right from the jump and I think we’re starting to show that down the stretch in these games.”
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 23 points.
Houston became the second team to clinch an NBA Cup quarterfinal berth, winning 115-111 in overtime at Minnesota to seal the West Group A crown. Golden State has already sealed the West Group C title.
Turkish center Alperen Sengun had a triple double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to spark Houston, which got 27 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds from Fred VanVleet and 22 points from Dillon Brooks.
Reserve Amen Thompson’s basket with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter lifted Houston level at 102-102.
Thompson sank a 3-pointer to ignite an 11-0 Houston overtime run as baskets by Jabari Smith, Brooks and two from Sengun brought the Rockets a 113-105 lead with 54 seconds remaining.
The Timberwolves, led by 29 points from Anthony Edwards, never got within four after that.
French star Victor Wembanyama scored 24 of his game-high 34 points in the first half to spark the San Antonio Spurs to a 128-115 victory at Utah, eliminating the Jazz’s title hopes.
Phoenix stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal returned from calf strains to spark the Suns over the defending NBA Cup champion Los Angeles Lakers 127-100.
Devin Booker had 26 points and 10 assists to lead the Suns while Beal and Durant each added 23 points in their comeback contests.
“Felt great,” Durant said. “We needed this win. Long as we continue to be healthy we’ll be fine.”
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds while LeBron James had 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the first Cup loss ever for the Lakers.
A 22-6 run gave the Suns a 98-78 lead entering the fourth quarter and the Lakers never threatened again.
Chicago’s Coby White scored 21 points and Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and 12 rebounds to power the Bulls over host Washington 127-108.
ICC to decide fate of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy on Friday
- India has declined to play in Pakistan over security concerns, which the hosts have dismissed
- Last year, when Pakistan hosted Asia Cup, India’s matches were played outside the country
KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) will meet this week to determine the destiny of next year’s Champions Trophy after India refused to play in host nation Pakistan, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Earlier this month, the ICC informed the Pakistan Cricket Board that India would not tour Pakistan for the eight-team tournament, leaving the fate of the event hanging in the balance.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and that rivalry is often reflected on the cricket field.
A spokesman for the ICC based in Dubai told AFP they could “confirm an ICC meeting on Friday” where the issue will be on the agenda, without providing further details.
The PCB has already rejected proposals that would allow India to play in a neutral third country, insisting the full schedule from February 19 to March 9 must be staged on their turf.
India’s cricket board has not commented on the tournament.
Deteriorating political ties mean bitter rivals India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series for over a decade — squaring off only in ICC multi-nation events.
Pakistan suffered a years-long drought of matches at home as teams refused to visit after a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore. International play only fully resumed in 2020.
When Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup, India’s matches were played outside the country.
But Pakistani cricket chiefs have rejected security fears for the Champions Trophy, pointing to their recent successful hosting of top teams including Australia, England, and South Africa.
The Champions Trophy will be the first ICC event staged in Pakistan since it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
Lewandowski hits Champions League century as Barca beat Brest
- It made Lewandowski only the third player to reach that milestone in the competition, behind former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, on 129, and former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, with 140
BARCELONA: Robert Lewandowski scored his 100th Champions League goal as Barcelona beat Brest 3-0 to climb provisionally second in the Champions League group standings on Tuesday.
The veteran striker slotted home from the spot in the 10th minute to fire the Catalans ahead and reach his milestone, adding a second late on after Dani Olmo’s goal to inflict the French side’s first defeat.
After dropping points in their last two outings in La Liga, coach Hansi Flick had urged his players to “eliminate” mistakes in their game and Barca produced a solid display.
They got off the mark quickly when Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot clumsily clattered into the back of Lewandowski after the forward controlled Pedri’s cross on his chest.
The striker dusted himself down and dispatched the penalty clinically to open the scoring after 10 minutes and bring up his century.
It made Lewandowski only the third player to reach that milestone in the competition, behind former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, on 129, and former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, with 140.
Under Flick, the forward’s form has improved significantly this season, reaching 22 goals in 19 appearances between La Liga and the Champions League.
The 36-year-old has made 125 Champions League appearances with Barcelona and before that German sides Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
“I am very happy, many years ago I did not think I could score more than 100 goals in the Champions League,” Lewandowski told Movistar.
“For me the most important thing is that we try to win every game, if I can score, then that’s the perfect solution.
“I don’t know how many games we have left before the end of the year but we have to win them all and rest over Christmas.”
Barcelona were still without teenage star Lamine Yamal, recovering from an ankle problem, but Raphinha was busy on the right and the Catalans dominated proceedings.
They did not create many clear chances though until Fermin Lopez forced a fine save from Bizot with a diving header.
The Dutch goalkeeper made amends for his earlier mistake by denying the Spaniard with his leg.
Lopez again came close early in the second half when Lewandowski put him in with a neat flick but Bizot was alert to save his low effort.
Playmaker Olmo had an effort scrambled off the line by Brendan Chardonnet as Barcelona sought to put the game to bed.
The former RB Leipzig midfielder eventually grabbed the second in the 66th minute when he received Gerard Martin’s pass in the box, showing some nifty footwork to dodge Chardonnet and beat Bizot at the near post.
Brest thumped RB Salzburg 4-0 and had dropped just two points from their first four matches despite sitting in mid-table in Ligue 1, but were brought down to earth at the Olympic Stadium.
Mathias Pereira Lage drilled home to momentarily delight nearly 3,000 traveling supporters but their joy was curtailed when the linesman raised his flag for offside.
Barca substitute Pablo Torre should have netted Barcelona’s third when he intercepted a pass with just the goalkeeper to beat, but fired wide.
Instead the job fell to Lewandowski and he rolled home his 101st Champions League goal with aplomb, beyond Bizot’s outstretched arm.
Brest fall a few places down the table but their strong start to the campaign means they are well placed to secure at least a play-off spot, while Barcelona are aiming to reach the last 16 directly.
Flick’s side travel to last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund next, before visiting Benfica and hosting Atalanta.
