Real Madrid 1-1 Tottenham: Spurs withstand heavy pressure

Forget Harry Kane for one moment. After this, the player Tottenham may have to keep out of the clutches of Real Madrid next summer is Hugo Lloris.

Their interest in David de Gea is long-standing, so we know they are in the market for a goalkeeper, and in front of a frequently unnerved Bernabeu, Lloris was quite outstanding. He made arguably the save of the season from Karim Benzema.

He made several other fine stops from Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo, and he held his nerve despite the frustrated whistles of the locals, taking time out of the game and allowing Maurico Pochettino’s team to earn an impressively gutsy point against the first back-to-back champions of the modern Champions League era. 

Harry Kane’s cheeky back-heeled flick went in off the French centre back as Tottenham impressed in the Spanish capital

However Cristiano Ronaldo drew Real level from the penalty spot on 43 minutes after a silly foul by full back Serge Aurier

Ronaldo celebrates scoring the opener, after Toni Kroos was hacked down by Aurier’s ill-timed challenge on the midfielder

Hugo Lloris produced a sensational point-blank save in the second half to prevent Karim Benzema from giving Real the lead

Lloris, pictured waving to the Spurs fans following the final whistle, played a starring role in spirited away performance

FULL LINE-UPS, GOALS, STATS AND MATCH ZONE

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Navas; Hakimi, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos; Ronaldo, Isco (Vazquez 87), Benzema (Asensio 76)

Unused subs: Casilla, Nacho, Theo, M. Llorente, Ceballos

Goal: Ronaldo pen 43 

Booked: Ronaldo 32

Tottenham (5-3-2): Lloris; Aurier, Dier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen; Sissoko (Son 89), Winks, Eriksen; F. Llorente (Rose 80), Kane

Unused subs: Vorm, Foyth, Trippier, Walker-Peters, Georgiou

Goal: Varane og 28

Booked: Aurier 43

Tottenham put together a quick back-to-front move to take the lead, the goal eventually going in off defender Raphael Varane. For more stats and facts, visit our exclusive MATCH ZONE service by clicking here.

Not that Kane was anonymous. Far from it. He caused the panic that led to Tottenham’s goal, and almost stole the points with 19 minutes to go, put through one on one by Fernando Llorente. Keylor Navas, in the Madrid goal, just got his fingertips to Kane’s effort sending it wide for a corner. Kane will have been disappointed not to have scored, in the circumstances.

Yet if it wasn’t quite his night, Lloris was flawless. In the 55th minute, out with their gander up having scored just before half-time, Madrid looked certain to take the lead. Casemiro hit a perfect cross and Benzema met it with an equally expert header that looked a goal all the way until Lloris intervened.

It was a quite brilliant save, snatching the roars from the throats of the Madridistas. He did it again soon after when Harry Winks lost possession – a rare occurrence in what was a largely impressive performance – and Madrid fed Ronaldo on the break. Lloris was magnificent in keeping his shot out – and again two minutes later when Ronaldo had sped past three.

It is not like Madrid have found a new gear in this period of intense pressure, more like they have found a new car. A Lamborghini, perhaps – or Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. 

Real Madrid almost took the lead after only four minutes against Tottenham, Ronaldo hitting the post

Ronaldo reacts after his header clattered the woodwork, Benzema then putting the rebound wide of an open goal

Ronaldo chases down a bouncing ball in the early stages of the game, pursued by Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld

Real left back Marcelo beats Spurs right back Aurier with a pass as the hosts enjoyed the bulk of possession early doors

Spurs were undaunted by the reigning champions, however, and came close when Kane’s header was palmed away

After withstanding heavy pressure, Spurs came close themselves, Navas making a superb fingertip save to deny Kane

So, from Tottenham’s perspective, this was a result to savour. They have Madrid at Wembley next, with little to lose having made such a great start in the group. They won’t be the favourites, still, but nor will Madrid arrive with quite the same swagger. Most certainly, they won’t regard Tottenham as purely a Harry Kane team.

It was the best of Serge Aurier, it was the worst of Serge Aurier. The two first-half goals here showed why Tottenham’s recruit at right-back can be the making and undoing of this team.

His cross to set up Tottenham’s unlikely opening goal was a beauty, his tackle on Toni Kroos to give away the penalty and allow Real Madrid parity was a catastrophe. So close to the safety of half-time it must have come as an enormous frustration to Mauricio Pochettino.

Until that point, Tottenham had been doing an excellent job on the European champions. Not quite the full parked bus but an excellent, counter-attacking performance, overcoming early nerves and scoring on the break with Madrid’s defence revealing their fear of Harry Kane. 

A dangerous cross from the right hand side was not dealt with by Varane and the deflection outfoxed Keylor Navas

Kane is congratulated for his important part in the opener by his team mates including Eric Dier and Christian Eriksen

Ronaldo’s frustrations grew further after the opening goal, and he was booked for starting an altercation with Jan Vertonghen

Aurier caught Kroos as he attempted to worm his way through a series of tackles, thus ending a good half on a sour note

Ronaldo assuredly stepped up to end a frustrating half for him and put Real on a high note with an excellently hit penalty kick

Maybe Madrid’s charm offensive in recent days, talking up Kane’s ability in what many feel is the start of a campaign to secure his services next summer, had a negative effect on their own players. Certainly they seemed uncomfortable around him, worried about such a prolific and powerful English striker.

They have always had respect for British footballers here, from Laurie Cunningham to Steve McManaman, David Beckham and Gareth Bale and it makes perfect sense that they are interested in Kane, too. And if he didn’t score in the first-half, he did the next best thing – forcing Raphael Varane into a mistake that sent the ball into his own net.

The goal came after 28 minutes, Tottenham growing into the game following an early scare when a Cristiano Ronaldo header hit a post and Karim Benzema squandered the rebound with the goal begging. Ronaldo then had a shot go wide at the far post, before Tottenham gained composure and begun to threaten.

Kane had a header well saved by Keylor Navas from a Christian Eriksen corner and Fernando Llorente had a decent shout for a penalty rejected, after his standing leg was taken away clumsily by Casemiro. In front of the most vocal, white-shirted sector of the Bernabeu it would have been a bold call by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, and he wasn’t about to do anything stupid like that.

So Tottenham had to make their own luck and from their next significant foray into the box, they did. Aurier made excellent ground on the right and whipped a lovely ball in which Kane tried to flick into Navas’s goal with his heel. He missed, but sufficiently worried Varane that the defended stabbed at a clearance and, in doing so, put the ball into his own net. 

Benzema was sure he had given Real the lead, but his close-range effort was extraordinarily saved by Lloris’ legs

The Tottenham captain was magnificent, making a tremendous stretching stop to deny Ronaldo’s powerful drive

Spurs began with an unusual line-up at the Bernabeu with target man Fernando Llorente paired with Kane up front

Llorente is unable to quite shepherd the ball home past Navas, with pressure from Varane forcing a goal kick off the forward

Sergio Ramos goes airborne but just misses a cross as Real continued to pile on the pressure in the second half

Lloris, as he did all evening, gathers the ball safely into his gloves, as he repelled almost everything Real could throw at him

The visitors revelled, the locals appeared stunned. Madrid had not exactly been dominant, but they had looked largely comfortable, but this was Tottenham’s gameplan bearing fruit. Pochettino had set out a team with five at the back, including Jan Vertonghen at left wing-back and his strategy was working. Could it hold? That was where Aurier came in.

First, he showed further excellent attacking instincts with a low shot from 20 yards that Navas tipped round for a corner – then he made the clumsy challenge that gave referee Marciniak to award the type of penalty that never spells controversy at the Bernabeu. One to Real Madrid.

As the professionals say, he went to ground too early, unnecessarily and in a place that invited trouble. In doing so, he took Toni Kroos with him and Marciniak did not pass up the opportunity to be popular. He pointed to the spot, Ronaldo finished emphatically into the right corner, Hugo Lloris observing his artistry from the opposite side.

It was no more than Madrid deserved. Had they taken their chances, they could have been comfortable – Benzema the worst culprit missing a header from a Luka Modric cross after 37 minutes that should have wiped out Tottenham’s advantage sooner. Lloris tipped round from Isco and Marcelo had a shot deflected into the side-netting, but that does not mean Tottenham’s resilience wasn’t impressive.

If further proof were needed of the trouble they caused Real Madrid early on, Ronaldo was booked for tugging needlessly at Vertonghen while waiting for a corner. He doesn’t usually get so irritated by Madrid’s group stage opponents – meaning Tottenham were doing something right at least.

Real manager Zinedine Zidane sits on the bench during the first half of the Group H match in the Champions League

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino speaks to Vertonghen, one of five defenders he chose to line up on Tuesday night

Kane warms up for the game against Real, who have been linked with a move for the England international striker

Tottenham fans gathered in Plaza Mayor in Madrid all day on Tuesday before the evening kick-off at the Bernabeu

Pre-match a minute’s silence was held in memory of the victims of forest fires which have ravaged parts of Spain this week