Tottenham picked up their first win in Group G of the Uefa Cup with a comfortable 2-0 success over Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Ramos' impressive Uefa Cup run continues
Tottenham picked up their first win in Group G of the Uefa Cup with a comfortable 2-0 success over Hapoel Tel Aviv.
First half goals from Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov were enough to give Juande Ramos' side all three points.
Keane broke the deadlock on 26 minutes when he volleyed home Steed Malbranque's cross past Hapoel goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.
Berbatov put speculation over his future behind him to add a second five minutes later when he headed home Malbranque's cross after his inital shot had been blocked by Gabriel dos Santos
Hapoel ended the game with ten men after Gal Shish was sent off five minutes into the second half for a second bookable offence.
Spurs missed chances to add to their lead in the second period, but they will be happy to get their Uefa Cup campaign back on track after last month's defeat to Getafe.
Slow start
It was actually the hosts who started brightly and almost took advantage of an unbalanced Spurs defence.
Younes Kaboul's mistakes saw him relegated to the bench and Pascal Chimbonda, a full-back by trade, was in the heart of the defence.
A sloppy pass from him set up Hapoel's first chance, Bebars Natcho slipping the ball to Fabio Junior but the Brazilian could not get power on his volley.
Natcho was found in a promising position on the edge of the area after Spurs failed to clear a cross but he snatched at his shot and screwed wide. He also warmed the hands of Paul Robinson with a long-range volley from 25 yards.
Spurs seized control of the game by taking their first chance in the 26th minute.
It added to Keane's remarkable run of form and he now has 25 goals in his last 33 Spurs games, 10 of them coming this season.
He fed the ball out to Malbranque on the left flank and then met the cross first time on the volley, leaving goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama motionless.
Berbatov added the second five minutes later. His first effort was blocked by Gabriel dos Santos but the rebound spun out to Malbranque, who provided the cross for Berbatov to head home.
Berbatov should have added a second just after the half hour when he burst into the area but his shot was saved by Enyeama. Keane's follow-up effort was deflected wide by Dos Santos, with Spurs appealing for a penalty.
Sending off
Barukh Dego had the first chance of the second half when he chipped over Robinson but just wide, then their hopes of getting back into the match faded when they were reduced to 10 men.
Shish had been booked late in the first half for a clash with Berbatov and Aaron Lennon, and he picked up his second yellow card in the 50th minute for a tackle on Lennon.
Hapoel's misery could have been compounded by Darren Bent, who came off the bench and hit the post after rounding the goalkeeper.
| Hapoel Tel-Aviv |
Team Statistics |
Tottenham Hotspur |
| 0 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
2 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 4 |
Shots off Target |
10 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 2 |
Corners |
6 |
| 14 |
Fouls |
15 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
| 1 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 75.8 |
Passing Success |
86.5 |
| 22 |
Tackles |
12 |
| 72.7 |
Tackles Success |
75 |
| 38.6 |
Possession |
61.4 |
| 43.3 |
Territorial Advantage |
56.7 |
|
