Champions League

TOTTENHAM fans have not seen enough of Son Heung-min’s trademark camera-pose celebration this season for their liking.But on Wednesday night, the South Korean was picture perfect.
Son scored twice as Spurs earned their second Champions League win of the seasonCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun
Kamada gave Frankfurt an early lead in North LondonCredit: Getty
Son levelled for Spurs after a superb through ball from KaneCredit: Getty
Kane dispatched a penalty to give the hosts a first half leadCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun
Son’s wonderful volley increased Tottenham’s advantage before the breakCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun
Alidou headed one back for Frankfurt but it wasn’t enoughCredit: Reuters
A shock early goal shipped to Daichi Kamada proved to be merely a jolt to the Spurs system as Son led a blistering, first-half fightback.
He levelled on 20 minutes with a fine finish – celebrating by taking his black armband off and pointing it to the sky in tribute to Tottenham’s beloved fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone who passed away last week – before Harry Kane put the hosts ahead with a penalty.
Confidence was clearly coursing through Son’s veins at that point as he thumped home an awesome volley to make it 3-1 with nine minutes to go to the break.
He ran to the corner shaking his hand as if to say his shot had been too hot for goalkeeper Kevin Trapp to handle – which it most certainly was – before striking his snapper routine in front of the cameras.
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Antonio Conte, meanwhile, went even more nuts on the touchline than normal as he raucously celebrated the goal with his backroom staff.
The Italian surely knew then that his Spurs were on their way to a huge three points which would put them top of Group D.
Tuta’s rapid-fire red card after the break looked to ensure it, though a late Faride Alidou header ensured a nervy finish, which should have been extinguished by a second spot-kick for Kane which, amazingly, he blazed over.
It was breathless stuff but in the aftermath Conte’s main takeaway was that his favourite Son was looking back to his best.
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It has been a curious start to the season for Tottenham’s No7, who shared last term’s Premier League golden boot with Mo Salah after hitting 23 goals.
He began it back in his home country during Spurs’ preseason tour of South Korea, where Conte gave the local press what they wanted by mimicking Son’s camera pose alongside the forward at a packed-out press conference in Seoul.
But when the stuff that really mattered began, Son looked strangely sluggish, failing to net in his opening eight games and struggling to make an impact.
It led to him being benched against Leicester before the international break, to which he responded in remarkable style by hitting a 14-minute, second-half hat-trick as a sub.
Yet that was followed up by blanks against Arsenal, Frankfurt last week and in the win at Brighton on Saturday, meaning that maybe his early-season malaise was not quite over.
But on Wednesday, he was electric in everything he did.
That rapid pace which has been synonymous with his game but lacking at times this term was back and caused Spurs’ German guests all sorts of problems.
Frankfurt may be inconsistent, as proven by a win over Bundesliga table-toppers Union Berlin and a loss to the division’s bottom side Bochum either side of last week’s stalemate at home to Spurs.
But in Europe, and particularly on the road, they are no mugs.
They did not lose at all away from home during their triumphant Europa League campaign last term, winning at Real Betis, Barcelona and, memorably, West Ham.
Oliver Glasner’s side had also already won at Marseille this season too.
Kane blazed a penalty over in stoppage timeCredit: AFP
So when Eric Dier’s gaffe paved the way to the visitors taking an early lead, one wondered if another famous win on the continent was on the cards.
England man Dier failed to control a routine pass from Cristian Romero, allowing Jesper Lindstrom to seize the ball.
Hugo Lloris managed to push away the Dane’s cutback, but only into the path of Sebastian Rode, who squared it for Kamada to find the net.
It was a blow but Spurs have been impeccable at home so far this season, winning all five of their games, and they did not panic.
Within six minutes, they were level thanks to the old Kane-Son combo.
Emerson Royal, often maligned by Spurs fans, should take credit too for feeding Kane, who played the ball through to the fleet-footed Son.
The 30-year-old’s excellent first touch got it out of his feet and his rolled finish past Trapp belied a man who has struggled to find the target this term.
It was the 50th goal combination between Kane and Son in all competitions, further solidifying their position as the deadliest duo in Premier League history.
Son possibly should have had a penalty moments later when blocked by Kamada, but referee Carlos Del Cerro Grande waved away his protestations.
The Spanish whistler then bafflingly denied Kane a spot-kick soon after when the England captain had clearly been felled by Kristijan Jakic.
It was a successful night for Spurs boss ConteCredit: Getty
Luckily, VAR intervened and instructed the man in the middle to look at the pitchside monitor. He did and eventually came to the correct call.
Kane has had his joint-best start to a Premier League season with eight goals in his opening nine matches, but had failed to score in all three of Spurs’ Champions League games.
If there was any resulting pressure on his shoulders as he waited to take his penalty, there was no sign of it.
Trapp went the right way, diving low to his left, but still got nowhere near it.
Son then added some serious sauce to the comeback with his exocet volley from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s lofted cross.
Spurs’ star from the Far East was simply too good for Frankfurt’s backline, summed up by Tuta receiving two yellow cards in three minutes after the break for fouls on the ex-Hamburg man.
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Alidou’s late header sparked some drama at the death, made all the more mad by Kane firing over from 12 yards after Bryan Gil had been felled.
The craziness was eventually brought to a close with Spurs holding on to the win thanks to Son’s timely return to the limelight.
Tottenham put on a show with a superb Champions League performanceCredit: Reuters More

NO MATTER how dodgy things look on the domestic front, the Champions League remains a wonderful getaway for Liverpool. After Roberto Firmino underlined his enduring value to Jurgen Klopp with two goals and Mo Salah eviscerated poor Rangers by arriving off the bench to grab a six-minute hat-trick, the Reds are almost certain of qualification for the knock-out stages. 
Mo Salah helped himself to a SIX-minute hat-trick as Liverpool thumped RangersCredit: PA
Salah proved his class with a set of wonderful effortsCredit: Getty
Following an opening-night mauling by Napoli, that is a decent achievement from a side which has been stuttering badly in the Premier League. 
A club who have reached ten European Cup finals, winning six of them, and which rightly regards itself as royalty in this competition, will always believe that lifting Old Big Ears is a realistic proposition. 
Klopp told his team’s supporters to book their hotels for this season’s final in Istanbul as soon as they had lost to Real Madrid in Paris in May, on a night marred by chaotic policing. 
And they are on call after prevailing in this Battle of Britain, in which one side employed heavy artillery and the other lot came armed with pop guns. 
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Remarkably when you consider the final scoreline, Rangers led through their former Burnley midfielder Scott Arfield and were highly competitive for 45 minutes. 
But the second half was an embarrassment for the Scottish club and an absolute breeze for Klopp’s men. 
The fact they have won just twice in eight Premier League games yet netted six unanswered goals in the second period shows the vast gap between the leagues north and south of the border. 
But without Firmino it might have been a less comfortable night for Klopp.
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Most assumed that the 31-year-old Brazilian would be off this summer after the arrival of a more authentic centre-forward in Darwin Nunez. 
But Firmino has scored eight goals in 12 matches so far – easily his best scoring rate of any season in his Anfield career – and after bagging the first two last night, he teed up Nunez for the third.
Then Salah, who had been rested until 20 minutes from time, scored a classy hat-trick and teenager Harvey Elliott netted the seventh as a once-raucous Ibrox quickly emptied.
For all Liverpool’s early-season struggles, their first encounter with Rangers at Anfield last week was far more comfortable than the 2-0 scoreline suggested – only Allan McGregor’s masterclass preventing a rout.
Perhaps that was why Klopp felt able to leave out Salah, ahead of Manchester City’s visit on Sunday. 
But the German’s decision to substitute his Footballer of the Year and Golden Boot winner in Sunday’s defeat at Arsenal was an odd one. 
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Since then, Klopp has been irritated by former Liverpool Champions League winner Didi Hamann questioning his future – the German is not used to any sort of dissent on Merseyside 
The fear in resting a couple of senior players, on the back of three injuries suffered at Arsenal, was that the bearpit atmosphere at Ibrox might prove a leveller. 
Even after three successive humpings in this group, Rangers showed far more purpose and conviction than they had done on Merseyside. 
The home support assaulted the eardrums and Giovani van Bronckhorst’s players delivered on their pre-match promise of cramping Liverpool’s style and getting into their famous faces. 
And, as is now usual, Klopp’s team went 1-0 down. 
Former Red Ryan Kent had already bent a shot wide of the far post with Liverpool’s defence standoffish. 
Then after Fabio Carvalho was robbed by Fashion Sakala, Ryan Jack slipped in a pass for Arfield to nip between Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to rifle past Alisson into the bottom corner.  
With this stately old stadium rocking, Gomez almost gifted a quick-fire second with a stray back-pass. 
Scott Arfield had Ibrox bouncing with his openerCredit: Getty
Roberto Firmino was all smiles with two goals and an assistCredit: PA
Firmino equalised with a close-range header from a cornerCredit: AP
But Rangers’ lead would last for only seven minutes and it was a seriously soft one to concede. 
Kostas Tsimikas delivered an inswinging corner from the right and Firmino rose virtually unchallenged to head home at the near post, embarrassing McGregor and his defence. 
It felt as if that moment might change the momentum of the night but Liverpool were unable to seize on their gift. 
Klopp’s men look rattled when Rangers pressed them high and were unable to exert any real control in midfield. 
Late in the first half, Arfield was only denied a second goal by a sharp diving block from Ibrahima Konate after Sakala had tormented Tsimikas. 
Rangers centre-half Connor Goldson limped off just before half-time but after Klopp had charged down the tunnel at half-time, there was a far greater hunger about Liverpool in the second half. 
And ten minutes into it, they were in front, Gomez galloping down the right and raking a low cross to Firmino, who timed his run with accuracy and nutmegged McGregor with his first-time finish. 
That really was the moment when the ambition and belief of the home side dissolved and soon it was three.
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Fabinho won possession in midfield, Carvalho sent a cute angled pass forward and Firmino’s subtle touch allowed Nunez to finish coolly inside the far post – it was comfortably Liverpool’s best move of the night.  
Then Salah added three classy finishes in a Champions League-record six minutes and 12 seconds, the second particularly gorgeous, and Elliott – with the aid of VAR – bagged one which would have meant a lot to the kid, but little to the overall storyline.  
The Brazilian made it 2-1 with a fine finish after Joe Gomez’s crossCredit: PA
Darwin Nunez made his tidy effort look easy as he found the bottom cornerCredit: Getty
Salah was desperate for Harvey Elliott’s goal to standCredit: Reuters More

FOOTBALL fans were left unimpressed after Eric Dier’s calamitous start to Tottenham’s Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.The Spurs centre-back, 28, has enjoyed a return to form this season and was recalled to the England squad as a result.
Dier was left thoroughly embarrassed after gifting Frankfurt the opening goalCredit: Rex
Eintracht Frankfurt strike first! ✅Daichi Kamada tucks the ball into the back of the net after a defensive howler from Spurs 🤦‍♂️#UCL pic.twitter.com/duWZnkfWtk— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 12, 2022

But he was anything but competent for the first quarter of an hour in North London.
And his sluggish opening to the game culminated in a costly error in the 14th minute.
A dreadful touch saw Frankfurt steal possession away from Dier in his own penalty area.
And when the ball eventually found its way across to Daichi Kamada, he had the simple task of tapping home to give the visitors the lead.
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The blunder led football supporters to slam Dier as Spurs fell behind in dreadful circumstances.
One social media user said: “Eric Dier is the evidence that the homegrown rules give certain English players a career.
“If there was no requirement for English players. Would he be playing for anyone? No chance.”
Another added: “Under 15’s stuff from Dier there. You scan the field before receiving the ball. Truly embarrassing and is now going to be a long, painful night.”
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And a third said: “Look at that Eric Dier howler… God knows how Southgate picks players like him over Ben White.”
Dier’s despair did not last too long, however, as Spurs levelled things up five minutes later when Harry Kane slid in Son Heung-min to equalise.
A Kane penalty then put Spurs in front, before Son volleyed in a stunning third nine minutes before half-time. More

IBROX was literally shaking as Rangers fans went bananas following Scott Arfield’s opener against Liverpool.The former Burnley midfielder burst through the middle of the gaping hole in the Reds’ defence.
Scott Arfield stunned Liverpool with his early goal at IbroxCredit: Willie Vass
The camera operator struggled to keep their focus on the players
The TV gantry was physically shaking at Ibrox
And he kept his cool after breezing past Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate to slot into the bottom corner past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
Arfield sent the 50,000-seater stadium wild as they witnessed Rangers’ first Champions League goal since 2010.
The ex-Canada international slid on the turf as supporters let out their cheers.
And the celebrations were so intense that the cameras were visibly wobbling high in the stands as the whole Glasgow ground bounced.
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Fans were in awe of the incredible scenes and took to Twitter with their comments – five months after the TV gantry was rocked as Gers reached the Europa League final.
One said: “Look at that camera bounce!”
Another wrote: “Ibrox on European nights 😍😍”
A third added: “That camera shake gave me motion sickness. Ibrox is bouncing.”
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A fourth replied: “BT Sport camera bouncing at Ibrox after that goal is a vibe.”
And a final user commented: “The atmosphere is always so incredible.”
But the home Rangers support were given a sucker-punch just seven minutes later when Roberto Firmino headed in an equaliser.
Arfield pounced and struck low into the bottom cornerCredit: Getty
The 50,000 inside the iconic stadium celebrated in styleCredit: PA More

LIVERPOOL legend Xabi Alonso’s debut as a Champions League coach didn’t go as planned.Two goals for Mehdi Taremi from the penalty spot and superb goalkeeping from Diogo Costa lifted Porto to a 3-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.
Galeno celebrates his goalCredit: AFP
The result strengthens the Portuguese team’s bid to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage and leaving Leverkusen last in Group B.
A Champions League winner as a player with Liverpool and Real Madrid, Alonso took over as Leverkusen coach last week.
Costa found Galeno with a long kick into the Leverkusen half in the sixth minute, and the forward cut inside from the left flank and scored as two Leverkusen defenders collided while trying to stop him.
Galeno won two second-half penalties to help Porto extend its lead, first for a collision with Adli and then for a clumsy challenge by Odilon Kossounou. Both times, Iran forward Taremi stepped up to beat Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky from the penalty spot.
In the other game in Group B, Club Brugge drew 0-0 at Atl�tico Madrid on Wednesday to secure qualification for the last 16.
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See the story of the match below…

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