Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague in Tuesday's Champions League league phase match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, continuing their winning momentum. An own goal from David Zima and penalties from Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons secured a comfortable win for the North London side. The victory boosts Tottenham's hopes of securing a top-eight spot in the Champions League.
Spurs started the game brightly, with Richarlison testing Slavia goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek within the first minute, only for Stanek to tip his header over the bar. Tottenham maintained the pressure, and their efforts paid off in the 26th minute when David Zima headed a Pedro Porro corner into his own net, giving Tottenham a 1-0 lead. The own goal was Tottenham's 100th Champions League goal. While Tottenham dominated possession, Slavia Prague's resilient defense made it difficult for them to create regular chances in the first half.
Tottenham extended their lead five minutes into the second half when Pedro Porro was fouled in the box by Youssoupha Sanyang. Mohammed Kudus stepped up and calmly converted the penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 2-0. Xavi Simons added a third goal in the 79th minute, also from the penalty spot, after being fouled by Igoh Ogbu. Simons' penalty sealed the 3-0 victory for Tottenham.
Despite the scoreline, Slavia Prague created several good chances throughout the match. Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham's goalkeeper, was called into action to deny Lukas Provod, while Michal Sadilek also had an opportunity to level the score in the first half. Stanek, Slavia Prague's goalkeeper, made a string of fine saves to deny Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, and Mathys Tel, preventing Tottenham from winning by a larger margin.
The win moves Tottenham provisionally into ninth place in the Champions League league phase standings. Tottenham's manager, Thomas Frank, acknowledged that his team still has room for improvement, particularly in sharpness and final passes. He also praised Xavi Simons, highlighting his deep runs, turns, and ability to beat defenders.
Tottenham made one change to their Champions League squad, taking advantage of a UEFA loophole to include Mathys Tel in place of the injured Dominic Solanke. Several players were unavailable for Tottenham due to injury, including James Maddison, Radu Dragusin, and Yves Bissouma.
In other news, Tottenham relocated their Pride flag at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the match against Slavia Prague following a request from the Czech club due to security concerns. The flag was moved from its usual location in the north-east corner of the stadium to the south-west corner.
