Ferencvaros 1-2 Tottenham: Europa League – as it happened | Europa League

Ange Postecoglou talks to TNT Sport. “Really happy with them … it’s never easy going away in Europe … the atmosphere … the conditions … we knew we would be able to overpower them with our running … we had some decent players on the bench and there’s no point just leaving them there … they’re not on holiday … Budapest is a beautiful city but they had to put in a shift … it’s an important part of our evolution as a team.”

And with that, the report’s up! Thanks for reading this MBM.

That was rollocking good fun. Not sure Spurs fans, whose nerves will have been put through the shredder towards the end, will totally agree, but there you have it. Ange Postecoglou’s young side overcame some early nerves to take a first-half lead through Pape Sarr. They should have added to it way before Brennan Johnson eventually did – we’re looking at you, Timo Werner, again – but then Ferencváros had their opportunities to score as well. Spurs deserved to win on balance, and yet only the picky and the partial could have begrudged Ferencváros had they managed to squeak something out of this game. Both teams contributed to an entertaining tie, and Barnabás Varga’s late consolation should give the Hungarians succour going forward. Spurs, however, march on, and for the next two hours at least, the top of the Europa League megatable looks like this …

Spurs get over the line! It’s five wins in a row in all competitions, and two from two in the Europa League!

90 min +7: Maddison cops one in the face while competing for a loose ball with Cissé, and that’s surely it now.

90 min +6: Gustavo can’t continue. The corner’s taken. Solanke tries to shield the ball by the flag. He concedes a goal kick. We play on.

90 min +5: … but it’ll be a while before the corner is taken, because Gustavo has landed awkwardly on his shoulder, and requires some treatment.

90 min +4: Spurs try to slow things down. Vicario takes his sweet time over a goal kick. Kulusevski then wins a corner down the right and that should be enough.

90 min +3: Vicario comes to make a garden-variety catch, only to juggle the ball entertainingly, if not authoritatively. Spurs hack clear.

90 min +1: There will be five additional minutes. This is Spurs.

Ramírez crosses from the left. On the left-hand edge of the six-yard box, Barnabás Varga sticks out a leg and forces it into the bottom left. Vicario no chance! Game back on!

88 min: That’s five goals in five for Johnson, who had been getting pelters on social media before starting this run. There’s a lesson to be learned in there. And that is: take the plug off the internet, put it back in its box, and send it back. We’re happy to take the hit.

Johnson was denied by the crossbar a couple of moments ago. Now the left-hand post is his friend. Moore finds Johnson by the right-hand edge of the D. He takes a touch to his left and curls delicately across the keeper and off the bottom of the post. And in!

84 min: Kady and Abu Fani have shots blocked. Spurs living dangerously here. That’s Abu Fani’s last act of the evening; he’s replaced by Pešić.

83 min: … and to prove that point, Kady meets a right-wing cross by flashing a close-range header straight at Vicario. Either side of the keeper and it’s a sickener for Spurs.

82 min: Solanke comes on for Sarr. Spurs know they need that extra goal all right.

81 min: … so having said Gray has been impressive, he’s caught out of position, allowing Makreckis to have a whack from the right-hand corner of the Spurs box. He lashes it wide and high.

80 min: Gray, who has been quietly impressive tonight, drives down the middle of the park and rolls a pass towards Johnson on the right. Johnson meets the ball with a first-time diagonal riser that screams past the keeper and towards the top-left corner … before twanging off the crossbar. So close to a glory goal!

79 min: Kady looks lively. He dribbles hard in from the right, then swivels and shoots towards the bottom right, hoping to catch Vicario out at the near post. The keeper is wise to his grift and flops on the ball.

78 min: Kady’s first act is to send Zachariassen into acres of space down the right with a cute reverse pass. But the following cross is no good. A reminder to Spurs that the hosts are not cooked yet.

77 min: Two more changes by Ferencváros. Kady and Makreckis come on for Gartenmann and Traoré.

76 min: Nothing comes of the corner.

75 min: Maddison rolls the free kick to the left, nearly hitting the referee and surprising Kulusevski. The winger still manages to get a shot away. It’s deflected out for a corner. Even so, a bit of a fiasco.

74 min: Johnson’s low cross-cum-shot from the right flank is poked out for a corner. One corner leads to another, which the hosts half-clear. Porro then crosses from the right. Ben Romdhane handles, and it’s a free kick just outside the box, by the right-hand corner. Maddison to take.

72 min: Gartenmann mishits a cross from the right touchline. It nearly Koncheskys its way over Vicario and into the top left. The keeper thinks about tipping over the bar, just in case, but it sails over by its own accord. Hearts in mouths time for Spurs, who could do with a second goal to make breathing easier.

71 min: Maddison slips Moore into acres on the left, and screams for the return on the edge of the D. His request is met, but Gustavo turns up to skittle him over and clear. Maddison wants a free kick, but he’s not getting one. The challenge was hard but fair.

69 min: … so having said that, this is a bit better from the hosts. Gartenmann crosses from the right, Zachariassen heading harmlessly over from 12 yards.

68 min: The home fans continue to make their noise, as they’ve done all evening. Their team’s not giving them much in return, though.

66 min: Werner is immediately hooked for that atrocity. Bergvall and Lankshear also depart. Maddison, Kulusevski and Johnson come on.

64 min: Zachariassen hits a shot-cum-cross from the right-hand edge of the Spurs box, latching onto a poor Davies header. He wins a corner, from which Spurs counter through Moore on the right. Moore rolls infield to Werner, who is one on one with Dibusz! He’s got to score, but tries to round the keeper on the left. A clunky touch brings him far too wide, and he swipes a dismal effort into the side netting. That was beyond awful. Coming off the back of a couple of big missed chances at Old Trafford, his confidence must be subterranean.

62 min: Gray gets out of a tight spot in the left-back position with a cute dragback. That sends Spurs on the counter, Bissouma slipping a pass down the middle for Lankshear to chase. Lankshear enters the box and cocks his leg back to shoot, only for Gartenmann to slide in from behind and poke the ball back to his keeper, who claims. Lankshear wants a penalty, but it was a fine challenge. Great play all round, really.

60 min: Ćivić and Saldanha are replaced by Ben Romdhane and Zachariassen.

59 min: Lankshear powers down the right and wins a corner with a low cross intended for Moore. Porro pulls the corner back to Lankshear on the penalty spot. The debutant sends a rising shot inches wide of the top-right corner. A fine effort.

58 min: Saldanha has the opportunity to release Traoré down the middle, but overhits the pass. Vicario gathers and breathes again. “À propos Yash Gupta’s comment about the number of chances Spurs create,” begins Richard Hirst, “is it just coincidence that Big Ange is an anagram of [said aloud] G, a binge?”

56 min: This second half hasn’t quite taken off yet. Not in the wide-open style of the first, anyway.

54 min: … a short corner from the right is worked back to Moore, who runs diagonally into the box. Ramírez hangs out a leg, but Moore declines to do the cynical thing, instead attempting to power into space for a shot. He runs the ball out for a goal kick.

53 min: Porro crosses aimlessly from the right. Cissé knocks it behind for a corner anyway. One set piece leads to another, and …

52 min: Ah yes, nearly the whole pitch is now back in view. Lovely.

51 min: The game restarts with the players just about visible again.

49 min: Nothing comes of the corner. I’m reasonably sure about that … though the entire pitch has suddenly been enveloped by thick flare smoke. Whiteout. The referee stops play so it can clear.

48 min: Saldanha drifts in from the left and curls a shot towards the bottom right. It’s heading in, but Vicario fingertips around the post for a corner. Great save.

47 min: Barnabás Varga nearly gets the better of Romero in a footrace down the right. Nearly, not quite. Romero holding his line.

Spurs get the second half underway. No changes. “Before Big Ange it was so easy to keep track of chances because Tottenham weren’t creating many,” begins Yash Gupta. “Now when Spurs squander an opportunity, instead of pointing finger at players, I’m looking forward to another chance a minute later. At times Angeball resembles holy entity and it is wonderful.”

That flew by. Spurs lead a wide-open game, but only thanks to a slightly generous offside call that cost the hosts a goal.

So let’s do that again …

That disallowed Ferencváros goal. Turns out the hosts weren’t so hard done by after all. Uefa have just released footage of the VAR decision, and while Adama Traoré was indeed miles offside in the middle, he wasn’t a factor in the outcome at all. Barnabás Varga’s knee was just off anyway, so the goal was never going to stand.

Half-time entertainment.

That flew by. Spurs lead a wide-open game, but only thanks to a slightly generous offside call that cost the hosts a goal.

45 min: Sarr sends Moore scampering into a bit of space down the right. A first-time cross is hacked behind for a corner. Porro sends it in from the right. It’s half-cleared by Traore, but Gray returns the volley with a daisycutter from 25 yards that nearly sneaks into the bottom-left corner. Dibusz does well to spot the danger through a thicket of legs and claims.

44 min: Abu Fani body-checks Porro with a forearm smash. You’ve seen players walk for less, but the referee decides a free kick will suffice. Porro to take from the right, 30 yards out. He swings it to the far stick, where Davies is penalised for shoving his opponent.

42 min: Sarr is back up and running.

41 min: It’s come at a cost, though, with Sarr now going down and requesting some treatment.

40 min: Sarr puts in a crunching tackle on Traore. Perfectly executed, at 101 mph, and the roar from the Spurs end is nearly as big as the one that greeted the goal.

38 min: Saldanha races into acres of space down the left and crosses low for Traore, who slices a shot wide left. He should have worked Vicario at the very least.

37 min: This game is a load of nonsense. Gloriously so. Plenty of front-foot fun allied to some slapstick defending.