And that’s how you do it. Harry Kane had spoken of Tottenham needing to show they can rise to the biggest challenges, the main events, the pressure occasions, and here they did just that. Nothing Spursy about this win; not so much as the slightest wobble, in fact.
It was quite possibly one of the finest European performances by a Premier League side in recent memory: a magnificent example of game management and big match finishing. Not just Kane’s goal, but the whole team display, keeping Borussia Dortmund at bay in the first-half, killing them off smartly in the second.
What needs to change, perhaps, is the view that Tottenham are a work in progress, and this Champions League campaign has a glass ceiling of achievement. Any team that can beat the current Bundesliga leaders 4-0 on aggregate, any team that can see out a match and not concede in these circumstances, should not be subject to artificial limitations. Yes, there are better teams in Europe; yes, many of those in the quarter-final draw will have considerably more experience.
Harry Kane sent Tottenham through to the Champions League quarter-finals after a stunning performance in Dortmund
Kane put the tie beyond doubt for the Premier League side with a pinpoint finish just three minutes into the second half
Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki was stranded and Kane accurately bent it around the goalkeeper and in at the near post
Mauricio Pochettino set his team up superbly as Spurs defended excellently and applauded the supporters at full-time
Marco Reus kicks the ball back towards the centre spot in frustration as Vertonghen and Sanchez celebrate Kane’s strike
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE
Borussia Dortmund: Burki 6, Wolf 5.5 (Bruun Larsen 62, 6), Akanji 7, Weigl 7, Diallo 6.5, Sancho 6.5, Reus 7.5 (Delaney 73, 6), Witsel 7, Gotze 7, Guerreiro 7 (Pulisic 62, 6), Alcacer 6.
Subs not used: Hitz, Zagadou, Hakimi, Schmelzer.
Goals: None
Manager: Lucien Favre
Tottenham: Lloris 9, Aurier 6.5, Alderweireld 7, Sanchez 7.5, Vertonghen 8, Davies 6.5, Winks 6 (Dier 55, 6), Eriksen 6 (Rose 83), Sissoko 7.5, Son 6.5 (Lamela 71, 6), Kane 8.
Subs not used: Gazzaniga, Wanyama, Llorente, Moura.
Goals: Kane 48
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Holland)
Attendance: 66,099
Ratings by Chris Sutton
Harry Kane put the tie to bed for Spurs with a stunning finish just three minutes into the second half. Click HERE for more from our Match Zone.
Yet across the last two seasons, Tottenham have defeated Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and got a draw at Barcelona when required. It can no longer be said they do not have the pedigree. That is pedigree, right there. This was a pedigree performance, too. If a European team had progressed in this fashion, we would dub it a masterclass.
Mauricio Pochettino set Tottenham up to defend knowing Dortmund had to be aggressive, and they did so magnificently. Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris carried on where they left off against Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday. They were outstanding.
Then, given one chance to end the game as a contest shortly after half-time, Kane did not disappoint. He is now Tottenham’s leading European goalscorer – an accolade he takes from Jermain Defoe and not, for once, from Jimmy Greaves – and this showed why. It was the perfect finish, from a perfect finisher – had Dortmund possessed one like him, they might have stood a chance.
Christian Eriksen’s pass in the heart of midfield was cut out, but the ball ran loose to Moussa Sissoko. He saw Kane’s sublimely judged run and reacted quickly; Kane, free of his markers, lashed a right foot shot past Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki. It was Tottenham’s first shot on target, only their second opportunity of note all game, but nights like this are not necessarily about dominance, but intelligence.
The players came out onto the pitch and into a scintillating atmosphere at Dortmund’s iconic Westfalenstadion
Son Heung-min is put under pressure from Dortmund’s Mario Gotze as the hosts looked to play with a high tempo early on
Dortmund’s Marius Wolf grabs Harry Kane as the English striker looked to burst away from the full-back and onto an attack
Jan Vertonghen makes a crucial sliding tackle to deny Dortmund winger Marco Reus from giving the hosts the opening goal
Dortmund striker Paco Alcacer got the better of Davinson Sanchez before chipping his effort over, only to be flagged offside
As Kane had noted, too often in the past Tottenham had found ways to lose the big ones, in all competitions. They did so in the Champions League a year ago, drawing and scoring two away goals against Juventus, leading them 1-0 at Wembley, and then conceding two in quick succession to go out in the last 16. It was imperative, Kane said, that they go deeper this time.
And some would have snorted in derision, given that they were defending a 3-0 lead. Yet Tottenham’s nickname has not become an adjective for nothing. On the plane out, their fans were taking absolutely nothing for granted.
The problem with three goal leads – and most coaches will understandably say that is a misnomer – is that it gives the advantaged team a dilemma. Hold what you have, or go for it again? In a 90 minute game there won’t be long to see out. But leading 3-0 from the first leg in Europe? That’s a lot of thinking time.
In 2012, AC Milan brought a four goal lead to Arsenal in this competition and almost lost the tie to strategic uncertainty. It wasn’t until Arsenal reduced the advantage to a single goal by half-time that Milan clearly identified what they had to do, and saw out the remaining 45 minutes.
Mauricio Pochettino watched on from the touchline as his side delivered a composed defensive performance early on
English starlet Jadon Sancho struggled to have any impact on the game as his dip in form continued on Tuesday evening
Spurs goalkeeper Lloris found himself in incredible form in the first 45 minutes as he denied the German side a goal
Julian Weigl is left frustrated after the Dortmund defender had two efforts from close range kept out by the Spurs defence
Reus tried an audacious volley straight from a corner kick but saw his effort fly over the bar after a deflection off Sanchez
Son had the best of Tottenham’s very few opportunities but missed his effort while under pressure from Marius Wolf
So, early on at least, Tottenham appeared a little unsure. They are a good attacking team but with three centre-halves and two full-backs lying deeper than usual, it was clear Pochettino had instructed them not to take unnecessary risks.
Inviting opponents on, however, is not natural for them and there were several close shaves in the initial exchanges. Seeing Christian Eriksen back in his own box making crucial blocks was confirmation of Tottenham’s game plan.
Yet anyone who saw the conclusion to the game with Arsenal on Saturday will know of Tottenham’s resilience. A penalty save from Lloris and a quite stunning tackle by Vertonghen on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – a familiar face around these parts – denied Arsenal victory in the last minute. And the pair carried on where they left off, Vertonghen with a brilliant tackle on Marco Reus , to stop Dortmund’s captain in his tracks after 11 minutes.
Reus then had a deflected shot saved at the second attempt by Lloris, beginning a passage of play in which the goalkeeper starred.
Moussa Sissoko latched onto a loose ball and fed Kane who needed just one touch and one chance to send Spurs through
The English forward curled the ball beautifully around the Swiss goalkeeper and inside the near post to grab an away goal
Kane jumped in delight as he celebrated his goal in front of the 4,000 Spurs fans who had travelled to Dortmund for the game
A dejected Gotze and Alcacer wait to restart the game after Kane’s goal left the German side needing five in order to progress
Vertonghen sweeps a cross away from Alcacer as the Belgian produced another defensive masterclass for his team
Spurs captain Lloris roars with delight after managing to keep Dortmund’s lively attack out in a superb defensive showing
What a player Reus is, on his day. He played just an hour on Friday night, Dortmund nursing him back from injury, and no wonder. He was at the centre of all that was good about them, demanding another excellent save from Lloris just after the half hour.
Dortmund enjoyed a particularly dangerous spell at that point, Julian Weigl forcing two titanic stops – first from Lloris from close range and then a block from Kane when the follow up fell fortuitously to the Dortmund man. A shot by Mario Gotze required a superb acrobatic stop, followed by another from Jadon Sancho. By now, Pochettino had seen enough. He has never been scared to change shape mid-match and he pulled Hueng-Min Son deeper and reverted to 5-4-1. Kane was now isolated as the lone forward presence, but needs must.
There is no harm in trying to win a game on the counter attack and Tottenham came close in the first-half, too. An Eriksen flick played in Son who hared clear of desperately chasing yellow shirts. It could have been game over but Son has strangely not looked the same striking force since Kane returned. He snatched at his shot, the hot breath of pursuit on the back of his neck. No matter, Pochettino would have been delighted with the half-time score and the need to commit increasing numbers forward to break the deadlock would eventually undo Dortmund. Equally, even with the outcome certain and minutes remaining, Lloris was still denying Paco Alcacer from close range. That bagel mattered, clearly
Forget the first leg advantage. This was a milestone for Pochettino and Tottenham in Europe. The manner of the victory, the confidence, the well-executed plan – the only negative was what looked to be a groin injury to Harry Winks – are all signs of growing maturity. And this is a cup competition, for all its grandeur. Who might Tottenham be ready to take on after this? The answer is obvious: anybody.