Tottenham 2 Sheriff 1: Spurs through as Defoe breaks Chivers' Euro scoring record

By Laura Williamson

PUBLISHED: 16:56 EST, 7 November 2013 | UPDATED: 02:40 EST, 8 November 2013


Jermain Defoe met Martin Chivers in the tunnel at half-time on Thursday night and the former striker urged him to ‘keep going’ and surpass him as Tottenham’s record goalscorer in Europe.

Defoe duly did so, converting a 67th-minute penalty to break  the 22-goal record  of ‘Big Chiv’ and book Tottenham’s place in the knockout stages of the Europa League with two games to spare.

A good night all round, you might think, particularly in light of Erik Lamela’s best performance so far in a Spurs shirt. But Chivers’s half-time message provided an apt reflection of this match. Yet again, Tottenham’s expensively assembled squad failed to entertain against inferior opposition, even if they ground out a result.

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Jermain man: Defoe scores from a penalty to take him past Martin Chivers as Spurs' leading European scorer

Jermain man: Defoe scores from a penalty to take him past Martin Chivers as Spurs' leading European scorer

Match facts

Tottenham: Friedel 5, Walker 6, Naughton 6, Capoue 6 (Paulinho 55), Kaboul 6, Vertonghen 6, Lamela 8, Dembélé 7, Defoe 6, Eriksen 5 (Holtby 81), Sigurdsson 5 (Kane 69)

Subs not used: Lennon, Soldado, Chiriches, Archer

Booked: Eriksen

Scorer: Lamela, Defoe

Sheriff Tiraspol: Tomic 6, Balima 6, Paye 5, Moyal 6 (Furdui 60), Samardzic 7, Metoua 7, Cavalcante Mendes 5, Stanojevic, Ismail Isa 6, de Fiori Mendes 6 (Pascenco 73), Henrique de Sousa 5 (Bonfim Pires 88)

Subs not used: Stajila, Paireli, Gomes de Jesus, da Silva,

Scorer: Isa

Man of the match: Lamela

Referee: Kenn Hansen

* Player ratings by LAURA WILLIAMSON at White Hart lane

Their run of clean sheets in this competition finally ended when Brad Friedel palmed Cadu’s shot back into open play and Ismail Isa struck for Sheriff after 72 minutes.

After branding his critics ‘incompetent’, Villas-Boas, thankfully, had seen fit to heed their advice.

The Spurs manager did not even name Hugo Lloris among his substitutes; only four days after the goalkeeper took a heavy blow to the head in last Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Everton. The Frenchman will be back to face Newcastle on Sunday.

In Lloris’s place, 42-year-old Friedel became the oldest player to feature in the Europa League, while Etienne Capoue started his first game since suffering an ankle injury on September 1.

This was still a very strong Spurs starting XI, as Villas-Boas’s side sealed qualification before a ‘frightening’ December fixture list.

The Tottenham boss said: ‘It would be more pleasing if we had managed to be first in the group and solve everything but it will keep us on our toes for the next two games.

‘It’s a great honour for Jermain. The record will stay in time, like Martin’s did, and it will be difficult for anybody to break. I hope it means this club goes through to the later stages of this competition so he can add even more goals.’

Erik Lamela was an attacking force on Spurs' right flank. Click here or more expert stats from our brilliant Match Zone

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Take a bow: Erik Lamela (left) opened the scoring in the second half with his first goal for the club

Take a bow: Erik Lamela (left) opened the scoring in the second half with his first goal for the club

Spot on: Jermain Defoe scores with a penalty after Erik Lamela was fouled in the box

Spot on: Jermain Defoe scores with a penalty after Erik Lamela was fouled in the box

From boy to man: Tottenham players congratulate Erik Lamela who scored one and set up another in the 2-1 victory

From boy to man: Tottenham players congratulate Erik Lamela who scored one and set up another in the 2-1 victory

Table toppers: Tottenham have progressed to the Last 32 after winning all four of their opening games

Table toppers: Tottenham have progressed to the Last 32 after winning all four of their opening games

Yet Tottenham struggled to create many clear-cut chances until Sheriff tired in the second half, despite Lamela’s industry on the right and Mousa Dembele’s artistry in the middle.

‘Let’s pretend we’ve scored a goal,’ sang the home fans, before jeering the half-time ‘highlights’.

Defoe barely had a sniff and admitted he struggled to pick his runs, but Lamela’s 20th-minute penalty claim might have been enhanced if the 21-year-old had not managed to keep his balance after being tripped by Djibril Paye’s outstretched leg.

Star jump: FC Sheriff's Ricardinho (left) has an aerial battle with Tottenham defender Kyle Naughton

Star jump: FC Sheriff's Ricardinho (left) has an aerial battle with Tottenham defender Kyle Naughton

Sandwich: Tottenham's Kyle Walker (left) and Erik Lamela try to take down Henrique

Sandwich: Tottenham's Kyle Walker (left) and Erik Lamela try to take down Henrique

Make some noise! Spurs fans join in the popular 'shoes off' chant

Make some noise! Spurs fans join in the popular 'shoes off' chant

Feel the Belge: Mousa Dembele (right) of Spurs competes for the ball with FC Sheriff's Marko Stanojevic

Feel the Belge: Mousa Dembele (right) of Spurs competes for the ball with FC Sheriff's Marko Stanojevic

Have it! Younes Kaboul heads the ball out from defence during the first-half stalemate

Have it! Younes Kaboul heads the ball out from defence during the first-half stalemate

Boy from Brazil: Paulinho (center) attempts an overhead kick towards the end of the game

Boy from Brazil: Paulinho (center) attempts an overhead kick towards the end of the game

The Argentine also brought a  left-foot shot down quite beautifully only to see it blocked. Gylfi Sigurdsson’s cross was gathered comfortably by Vjekoslav Tomic and the Sheriff goalkeeper was alert to tip Christian Eriksen’s 55th-minute shot over the bar.

Lamela’s toil was eventually rewarded with a 60th-minute, left-foot strike.

It has been a difficult introduction to English football for the  £26million signing, but we saw flashes of what might be to come last night.

His contribution was not over, however, as he then went to ground after an ill-timed tackle from Paye — winning the penalty which Defoe gleefully converted to claim the record.

 

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I entirely agree with you. But it seems to me the Spurs supporters (and I have been one for a long time), only want a slanging match with the Arsenal fans, and never see what is going on, and should be a little more objective. Winning sloppy is no substitute. Let's start winning with class!!!

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AVB Please play Lamela on Sunday. PLEASE !

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Lamela played well against a very poor Europa League side and all of a sudden they are saying he carried Spurs to the next round??? He cost £30m that should be the minimum requirement anyway. Dont get carried away, he hasnt proven himself in the PL yet.

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"Lets pretend we scored a goal..." sang the Tottenham fans.....LOL......love it !

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A lot of my fellow Spurs fans will find it hard to understand my attitude when I say there is the vital ingredient missing from AVB's team. They still lack the speed of movement, on and off the ball, that would make them a very good side. Too many times we have players without any support when receiving the ball, and no movement around them for the vital options required to open up the opposition. Inevitably the hopeful long ball and cross from the flanks reaches the head of defenders or floats into the 'keeper's gloves. It takes Spurs too long to get the ball forward. Defoe is redundant most of the time, hardly ever receiving worthwhile service. in fact Sherriff were more dangerous on the break than Spurs and could have scored more than one. AVB has the players, he has to get them playing in a style that gives more support to each other.

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I hope for Erik's sakes that he can adapt to England and English football... In Italy it take him a season to fully show his potential, the season of his arrival (he was 19),he had to recover from an ankle injury he had suffered during the U-20 world cup, but then he showed glims of what he could become.. In the second season he became a key player and goal scorer of the team (only one goal behind Roma's number 9 Osvaldo )...Erik is one of those players that needs time to adapt, mostly to the culture (in Italy he learned Italian quickly, somehitng that is really easy for argentineans, and the culture was practically the same) I hope he gets chances to play and adapts, because he has the potential to be a really good player.

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Bravo TF13 well said.

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Loving the comments from bitter goons, how long before you get the usual elbow from the CL? How many years without a trophy now? LOL

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Yes dave, as your mother used to tell you at Sports days, it's the 'taking part ' that counts.

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Coys actually my mother used to tell me to be realistic.

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WONGA WONGA will do you!

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Surely scoring all your goals in the europa cup doesnt constitute as breaking a european scoring record for spurs. If it was the champions league then fair play. Its a poor competition. Im a Wigan fan and im loving it but not for the bigger clubs.

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Shoes off if you hate Arsenal............COYS

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By hate don't you mean jealous of?

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