Miracles don’t happen every season. That’s why they’re miracles.
And so there was no heart-stopping comeback for Tottenham in Leipzig, no second-half resurrection. They lost away as they did at home, just by more. The tie was as good as done after 21 minutes when a second RB Leipzig goal on the night from Marcel Sabitzer left Tottenham chasing three. In all truthfulness, they didn’t look like to get one. Late in the second-half when Lucas Moura at last found Dele Alli in front of goal, he shot tamely at Peter Gulacsi, who caught it with his feet firmly planted. If there was a hint of a Tottenham revival it was only because Leipzig were probably a little surprised to be leading 3-0 on aggregate and didn’t quite know whether to push for more, or settle.
In the end, they pushed. Emil Forsberg came on for the night’s hero Sabitzer and scored in the 87th minute with his first touch after Tottenham, again, failed to deal with a cross from Angelino. Leipzig have had the beating of Tottenham across two matches now and were never troubled here, having opened the scoring after just 11 minutes. Last season’s run to the final must seem an age away now, for those Tottenham fans who made the trip to Madrid.
It didn’t take long for things to go from bad to worse for Tottenham with Marcel Sabitzer opening the score after 10 minutes
Dejection was written all over the faces of the Tottenham players after they conceded an early goal on Tuesday night
RB Leipzig doubled their lead not long after when Hugo Lloris was unable to stop Sabizter’s header creeping inside near post
Emil Forsberg wrapped up the game and put Tottenham out of their misery by adding a third with just minutes left
It will be a struggle to return to Europe’s premier club competition now, and a return to Thursday night football and its attendant complications looms. Rotten luck with injuries upfront has played a part but it was Tottenham’s defence that was as responsible for their downfall here, Hugo Lloris unconvincing for both goals, Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga appearing rattled from the start. By contrast, Leipzig were comfortable. They were the better side throughout. What looked like a decent draw for Tottenham in December, has only shown how much Mourinho and the club have to do.
Jose Mourinho would be a terrible poker player. It is all there in his face, everything he feels, everything he has. His hand would be as easily read as a child’s. His scowl as Tottenham’s gameplan fell apart in 21 minutes here told the story. The lips, curling, mouth downturned. The eyes, furious, almost disbelieving that his team could have given up the game so easily. The elation plainly felt by his opposite number Julian Nagelsmann, all joyous energy, fists clenched and pumping, sprinting around the tight rectangle of his technical area, was nothing compared to the white heat of Mourinho’s anger. If he had harsh words to say at Burnley on Saturday, come half-time, heaven knows his utterances here.
The first goal, as frustrating as it would have been, didn’t change matters much for Tottenham. They needed to score twice away to progress and that fact remained the same, even once Leipzig led 2-0 on aggregate. The second goal, however, was like a Joe Marler tweak of the unmentionables. It left Tottenham chasing a three goal comeback – and while their travelling fans had seen it done, and recently – their stunned silence suggested scepticism that history was about to repeat.
Little Tottenham did in the first-half here suggested they had three in them against Leipzig. The Germans, frankly, have looked a significantly better team across two legs. Tottenham’s injuries have made them weak in attack and that is certainly mitigation. Yet, in their current state, Leipzig are the better team. They have energy and pose an attacking threat and it is sadly true that with Harry Kane and Hueng-min Son out, not enough of Tottenham’s attacking midfielders have upped their game to pick up that slack.
Jose Mourinho could not manage to hide his frustration on the touchline after watching his side quickly fall behind
Timo Werner taps into an empty net but has his goal ruled out after the linesman put his flag up for an offside
Lloris comes flying out off his line and punches with conviction to clear the danger from the Tottenham penalty box
Nordi Mukiele goes for the spectacular as he attempts a bicycle kick but gets it all wrong by failing to make proper connection
Mourinho took Giovani Lo Celso off and wrapped him up in cotton wool in the second half ahead of Manchester United game
Tasked with scoring and with Mourinho talking up the club motto – to dare is to do – Tottenham played out 45 minutes in which they rarely looked like scoring. The sole save in that period from Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi came from a Giovani Lo Celso shot, having cut in from the right. Dele Alli tried to get forward, too, but lacked support.
To see a goalscoring midfielder at the peak of his game then, study Leipzig’s Marcel Sabitzer. The Austrian international was hugely decisive, scoring twice in ten minutes, the goals that left Tottenham facing a mountain of a second-half.
Since Mourinho took over from Mauricio Pochettino, only Aston Villa among Premier League clubs, have conceded more goals. It is an incredible record for coach who is famed for his powers of organisation and resilience. If Mourinho does nothing else, he tightens a team up at the back, yet Tottenham look as flaky as ever, almost more so. Eric Dier, in particular, made a shaky start to the game, playing the ball needlessly out for a corner and then turned and nutmegged in another move.
Japhet Tanganga crashed into Upamecano and sends him flying to ensure that Lloris can come out and gobble up the ball
Erik Lamela shows good balance and a nice turn of pace to skip past RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano
Lukas Klostermann rather clumsily crashes into Lucas Moura to bring the Tottenham man down and concede a free-kick
There was some concern for Mukiele after he went down fairly innocuously and had to be taken off on a stretcher
The RB Leipzig faithful sign loudly and proudly and wave flags on a historic European night for the German club
The irony being he got a decent block on the attack that led to the first goal, only to see his good – and by the looks of it, rather painful – work undone. Konrad Laimer – another Austrian, Lepizig’s first-team squad has three of them – broke down the right and cut the ball back to Timo Werner, who unleashed a fierce shot that struck Dier square in the face. The ball rebounded back and Werner was quickest to it, smartly electing not to go again but to square a pass to Sabitzer. Again, Tottenham were not alive to the danger, Erik Lamela winning second place in a two-horse race, Sabitzer’s low shot curling away from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and in at the corner.
Should Lloris have done better? Probably. It was a difficult save to make, at a tricky height and with movement, but he got a good hand to it, and his manager would have hoped he could have forced it wide. Just six minutes later, more sloppiness from Dier and his young partner Japhet Tanganga, almost let Werner in, before Dier recovered to correct his error.
Tottenham could not continue defending like this without consequence, however, and in the 21st minute they fell further behind. Serge Aurier was the first culprit, and absolutely woeful defensive header doing nothing but setting former Manchester City full-back Angelino free on the left. He whipped in a lovely cross and Sabitzer got in front of Tanganga to power a magnificent header past Lloris. Again, should we have expected more from Tottenham’s captain. Again – probably. He got a firm hand to this one, too, but could not prevent it beating him at the near post, clawing it back at the second attempt, by which time it had very clearly gone the wrong side of the line. As had Tottenham. No European final for them this season. If they are to return to this competition next season, it will have to be through a domestic campaign that has slowed significantly in recent weeks.