UEL: The Spurs are 'Sarrious' trophy contenders

The Spurs got what they came for! Ange Postecoglou mixed things up, rested some players, saw who he could rely on, and grabbed three points from Budapest, even though it took work - 2-1. In the end, Sarr and Johnson brought the triumph to the London side, while Varga's 90th-minute effort gave hope to the Hungarians.

Ferencvaros showed teeth, especially in the first half, when the Hungarians even netted, but Varga's goal was disallowed. The first period was much more interesting and full of chances and attractive moves. After the break, both teams opted for cautiousness, which resulted in significantly slower pace. Yet, six points from two matches is everything any Spurs fan could have wished for.

Tottenham's trophy pursuit was set to continue in Hungary against Ferencvaros - in their first-ever duel - in the second round of the new UEFA Europa League edition. After thrashing Qarabag 3-0 with a man down, the Spurs sent a message to all the rivals that they were ready to fight for the trophy. The Hungarian side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Anderlecht in Brussels and this was their opportunity to redeem themselves in front of the home crowd.

Ange Postecoglou opted to give a chance to several youngsters like Archie Gray, Mikey Moore, and Will Lankshear, as well as some players with fewer minutes in the Premier League, such as Lucas Bergvall and Timo Werner. Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, and Dejan Kulusevski were all benched, while the captain Son Heung-min and Radu Dragusin were ineligible due to injury and suspension, respectively.

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Despite being the underdog, the home team opened the game very bravely and had a couple of attempts in the opening ten minutes. Twelve minutes into the match, Pape Matar Sarr threatened the Hungarians for the first time but was stopped by Ferencvaros captain Denes Dibusz. The club from Budapest responded five minutes later, scoring a goal through Barnabas Varga, which was disallowed due to a tiny offside. Still, it was a serious warning to Ange and his boys.

The Spurs showed the message was received and understood in the 23rd minute by breaking the deadlock! Sarr used confusion among the opposing defence in their box, snatched the ball, and sent it home for 1-0! Ten minutes later, Tottenham could have doubled the lead, but Pedro Porro's powerful effort crashed against the right post. Still, the teams awaited the break, separated only by Sarr's goal. Postecoglou's crew could be satisfied with the result and the performance in the second part of the half, whereas Ferencvaros had something to regret after missing several chances.

After the break, Ferencvaros seemed more motivated again, creating the first massive chance already after three minutes. The Brazilian Matheus Saldanha aimed for the bottom left corner, but Guglielmo Vicario made a superb stop. The youngster Lankshear threatened with a volley after Porro's corner kick in the 59th minute, unleashing a strike over the bar.

Five minutes later, Werner continued his embarrassing missing streak in yet another one-on-one situation with the opposing keeper, signalling Postecoglou that it was time for changes. Hence, Ange subbed Kulusevski, Maddison, and Johnson in for Bergvall, Lankshear, and the German.

The second period was way less exciting as the rivals did not play as risky as they did during the first 45 minutes. The subs the Australian strategist made had only one goal - netting the second and securing the three points. That goal could have come ten minutes before the end when Johnson unleashed a powerful first-touch effort and hit the bar of Dibusz's goal! The Welshman still made it 2-0 with a sharp strike from inside the box in the 86th minute, scoring his fifth goal in as many previous games! After the disallowed one, Varga eventually netted in the 90th minute for 2-1 and Ferencvaros' hope, but there wasn't enough time for the complete comeback.

Ultimately, Tottenham noted a victory and collected the maximum number of points after two UEFA Europa League rounds. A good enough reason to peacefully await the duel with Brighton at Falmer Stadium in the Premier League. On the other hand, Ferencvaros prolonged their winless streak in European competitions to six (three defeats and three draws).

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Thursday

Lazio - Nice 4-1 (2-1)

/Pedro 20, Castellanos 35, 55, Zaccagni 65 pen - Boga 41/

Maccabi T.A. - Midtjylland 0-2 (0-1)

/Franculino 39, Chilufya 89/

Slavia Praha - Ajax 1-1 (0-1)

/Chory 67 - Van den Boomen 18 pen/

Olympiakos - Braga 3-0 (1-0)

/El Kaabi 45, 59, Hezze 53/

Sociedad - Anderlecht 1-2 (1-2)

/Marin 5 - Vazquez 28, Leoni 40/

Rigas - Galatasaray 2-2 (1-2)

/Ikaunieks 40, Odisharia 55 - Mertens 12, Akgun 38/

Qarabag - Malmo 1-2 (1-1)

/Juninho 15 - Botheim 19, 47/

Hoffenheim - Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 (1-0)

/Hlozek 22, 60/

Ferencvaros - Tottenham 1-2 (0-1)

/Varga B. 90 - Sarr 23, Johnson 86/

22:00: (2.80) Twente (3.40) Fenerbahce (2.50)

22:00: (2.55) Rangers (3.35) Olympique Lyon (2.75)

22:00: (1.75) Plzen (3.60) Ludogorets (4.90)

22:00: (4.40) Elfsborg (3.60) Roma (1.82)

22:00: (2.75) Besiktas (3.35) Eintr.Frankfurt (2.55)

22:00: (1.73) Ath.Bilbao (3.60) AZ Alkmaar (5.10)

22:00: (2.95) Porto (3.40) Man.Utd. (2.40)

22:00: (1.65) PAOK (3.70) FCSB (5.60)

22:00: (2.00) St.Gilloise (3.50) Bodo (3.70)

***odds are subject to change***