Sport
Tottenham 2-2 Roma: Mats Hummels scores late to deny Spurs in the Europa League
Mats Hummels atoned for conceding an early penalty by firing in a late equalizer for Roma in an action-packed 2-2 draw against Tottenham.
With just two minutes left on the clock, veteran defender Pape Matar took down Sarr in the penalty area – a challenge that was initially waved away by referee Glenn Nyberg. However, in what was a prelude to the busy night that VAR would have, Nyberg reversed the decision.
Heung-Min Son made no mistake by stepping up and calming the initial nerves by sending Mile Svilar the wrong way from the spot.
Tottenham's early goal was the 'dilly-dong, dilly-dong' Claudio Ranieri's side needed as a Paulo Dybala ball was met by Evan N'Dicka, who nodded in the equaliser.
Spurs fans then watched with bated breath as Roma continued to attack and had the ball in the back of the net just three minutes later, but VAR once again came to the rescue, ruling Stephan El Shaarawy's goal for offside.
The remainder of the first period belonged to Spurs, who plundered Roma's backline and took the lead again after Brennan Johnson curled in a cross from Dejan Kulusevski. Two almost became three as the home side got two bites of the cherry before both Johnson and Dominic Solanke were denied by a super double save from Svilar.
Roma quickly broke out of the blocks after halftime to get back on level terms, but VAR again had other plans for Il Giallorossi. Artem Dovbyk watched as two goals involving him were disallowed in quick succession for marginal offside.
Referee Nyberg was again called upon to make a big call when Rodrigo Bentancur's late slide challenge on Alexis Saelemaekers caused the Roma bench to erupt and call for red, but the decision stood after a brief check.
Despite Roma's dominance in the second half, Spurs came close to increasing the margin after substitute James Maddison played in Solanke, but Svilar denied him again.
Hummels' late goal puts Spurs in ninth place in the Europa League, while Roma earned their first point under Ranieri.
Ange: Why can't we just entertain?
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou:
“Why can't it just be entertaining, mate? Isn't that why we're all coming? Would you really rather we sketch a few little draws and a 1-0 win and then we'll get through it? I don't know.” .
“I much prefer us to be exciting to watch and maybe it's on the edge of the seat, and sometimes you don't get the reward that we could get tonight. I think if you want those types of games there's plenty of world football that you can watch every weekend.
“I'd like to think that if you tune in to us, you'll be entertained.”
Consistency continues to hint at Spurs
Sky Sports' William Bititbiri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
“When Son's early penalty found the net, Spurs fans thought they had finally cracked the code on stringing together consistent performances and results, but as wave after wave of Roma attacks followed, the familiar reality of the unpredictability of Spurs back in the minds of the spectators.
“Spurs' Jekyll and Hyde character manifested itself either side of half-time. In the first period, Spurs were dominant and aggressive, but that fell by the wayside in the second half. Roma took the initiative and saw two goals ruled out during their period of perseverance.
“It's entertaining to watch Tottenham, but the results will continue to point them towards the approach Postecoglou continues with.”
