Just because Spurs fans rarely have known little else as of late, other than the "completely sucking in all aspects of the game" feeling. However, the good news is that Spurs overcame a dreadful start, and a 0-2 halftime deficit, to storm back and tally three goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half to claim a 3-2 victory over Danish side Aalborg at White Hart Lane earlier today.
The relative lack of Spurs posts so far this season is a combination of not being able to catch them on television (or at least following the match online) with some rather depressing results from most of the matches. This one was on FSC, so I was able to catch the replay at 5 p.m. PST without having known the result.
For the first half, about all I'll say is that the referees let the boys play, though the sideline assistants seemed to have missed some offsides calls as well as a Spur tackle on an opponent that I thought for sure would've netted them a penalty kick.
It was a lively, energetic match throughout, but Spurs fans got that familiar sickening feeling just two minutes in when a relatively unchallenged Tomas Enevoldsen dribbled between three Spurs and drilled a shot in from the top of the boxed area. The Danes scored near the end of the first half when Kasper Risgaard took advantage of some sloppy clearance passes and defending to toe his chance into the net, with Robinson having left the area to challenge the first advance on goal.
Spurs were able to move the ball fairly effectively and catch some good looks at the goal, but were unable to finish with the correct passes, I recall one pass from Dimitar Berbatov on the right side to the top of the penalty area that wound up between three Aalborg defenders.
Not sure exactly what Spurs coach Juande Ramos might've said at the half, but Spurs came out with much more determination on the offensive end, with a quick dividend being paid 50 seconds in with Berbatov sliding his shot from the left to the corner of the right side of the goal.
The second Spurs goal came just five minutes later, the result of some beautiful team work. This one began with Berbatov leaving his Aalborg defender Martin Pedersen on his backside, flicking the ball to the left where Jermain Jenas (I think) quickly knocked the ball to Robbie Keane, who was then able to take a second and correctly guess that Steed Malbranque had the best shot on goal. The speed with which these passes occurred left the Danes a bit flat-footed, one of those moments where everything comes together.
Darren Bent then netted the winning goal in the 66th minute on a rebound from a missed Gareth Bale free kick, taking advantage of a scrum inside the penalty box to knock the shot in. At first it appeared that Bent might've been offside, but the replay showed he was indeed onside.
There was one shot that Aalborg took in the second half that barely missed the mark, around the 60th minute, but in general, the Spurs defense played better, further emphasizing the lackluster effort from that side of the pitch in the first half. As most Spurs fans know, the offense is there (aside from picking which of the strikers to use; Jermaine Defoe did not play in this game), it's just the defense that needs some work, which Ramos has already ADMITTED. Nice to have some good news to report (and to have actually seen a match again), so the usual Come On You Spurs!!! battle cry will have to tide me over until Sunday, when Spurs host Birmingham on FSC.
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