Dortmund vs Tottenham result: Five things we learned as Harry Kane goal send Spurs to quarter-finals

Five things we learned from Tottenham's superb 1-0 victory in Dortmund

Tuesday 05 March 2019 22:29 GMT

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UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw

Tottenham defeated Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in Germany to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals 4-0 on aggregate.

Dortmund dominated the first-half and had a number of good chances, only to be repeatedly denied by Tottenham’s captain, Hugo Lloris.

Spurs then struck on the counter-attack to kill the tie, with Harry Kane firing home to become Tottenham’s leading goal scorer in European competition.

It is just the second time Tottenham have reached the Champions League quarter-finals in their history after the 2010/11 campaign, when they lost 5-0 on aggregate to Real Madrid.

Here are five things we learned.

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

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1/22Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Roman Burkl 5

Had nothing to do until he had Kane running straight at him, and he did not know how to react. Blameless for tonight’s defeat, although he may regret his performance at Wembley more than this one.

AP

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Marius Wolf 4

Summed up Dortmund’s evening. Full of energy, taking the game to Tottenham in the first half, urging his colleagues on. But whenever he had space down the right his delivery was dismal, at the moments that ended up costing Dortmund the game.

EPA

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Manuel Akanji 5

Was heralded as making an improvement to the Dortmund defence, but in truth he did little to make the difference here. Could only watch as Dortmund wasted their chances, before Spurs scored from their first attack.

EPA

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Abdou Diallo 5

Back when Dortmund were attacking early on in the game he went on one thrilling run down the left and set up Gotze, whose shot was blocked. Beyond that it was largely frustration that his runs came to nothing.

AFP/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Raphael Guerreiro 5

Moved up from left-back into a left-wing role, he was meant to be part of Dortmund’s exciting front five but it did not quite work out like that as he could break through in that busy first half.

Action Images via Reuters

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Axel Witsel 5

Has a big job anchoring the Dortmund team for five attackers in front of him but he did it well, setting the tempo with and without possession, clattering into tackles and encouraging his team-mates to do the same. But it was nowhere near enough.

Action Images via Reuters

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Julian Weigl 4

The converted midfielder was useful on the ball, and nearly scored a clever little header, but was caught out when Kane ran in behind for the goal. Although the real defensive damage was done at Wembley.

Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Jadon Sancho 5

Not quite as dangerous as he was in the first half of the Wembley game. Got on the ball less often and did less with it, one flick here, one dart there, but looking for once like an inexperienced 18 year old. Has plenty more Champions League campaigns ahead of him to learn.

Action Images via Reuters

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Marco Reus 7

How Dortmund missed him in the first leg. He was electric here, starting in midfield, running past players and threatening the Spurs goal. But he could never quite break through here. Still given a standing ovation when he went off in the second half.

AP

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Mario Gotze 6

Much deeper than in the first leg, he looked more comfortable getting the ball at his feet and moving it forwards. Nearly scored late in the first half only to be denied by Lloris’ left hand.

Bongarts/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Paco Alcacer 5

Probably the quietest of Dortmund’s front five, he suffered because Spurs were forced so deep he did not have that much space to run into. Looked frustrated at times, but even more so as his team went out.

Bongarts/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Hugo Lloris 9

Big game heroics. This tie was always going to hinge on Spurs surviving the early Dortmund storm. And his goal was peppered in the first half but he was at his agile best throughout, saving from Reus, Weigl and stretching to his left from Gotze. It was Spurs keeping this 0-0 that secured their passage, and they could not have done that without their keeper.

AFP/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Toby Alderweireld 8

What a relief to Spurs that they did not find a buyer for Alderweireld last summer. Because his experience has continued to get them out of scrapes this season, especially in these two legs against Dortmund. Was vital here, organising the back line around him, making crucial blocks and headers, helping to hold off Dortmund in that crucial first half.

AFP/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Davinson Sanchez 6

Had one or two nervous moments in the first half, as he did against Arsenal on Saturday. But he settled into the game, showing again the speed and aggression that means Pochettino keeps trusting him in these big games. Clearly still learning every week.

Bongarts/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Jan Vertonghen 9

Like Lloris, he stood firm in the face of the Dortmund storm, and without him Spurs would not have survived. His positioning was immaculate but one big tackle on Reus will always stand out.

Bongarts/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Serge Aurier 7

Surprisingly preferred to Kieran Trippier for this game, he did not let anyone down. That might not sound like much but for Aurier it is progress. Was a reliable part of Spurs’ back five, making every tackle he needed to. Tried to attack down the right but none of them ever came off.

Action Images via Reuters

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Ben Davies 7

Sometimes Spurs wingbacks have to attack with width but here he just had to dig in and defend, part of their solid back five. But he did it well, winning every tackle, never letting Sancho get in behind him, playing his own important part in this huge team win.

Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Moussa Sissoko 8

We knew he could put the yards in, but who expected him to do this? It was Sissoko’s perfectly weighted through ball that cut Dortmund open to secure progress for Spurs. Without that goal it might have been a very different evening.

Bongarts/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Harry Winks 6

Spurs did struggle at the start but Winks settled into the game and by the end of the first half he was more involved, passing and moving, giving them something they lacked on Saturday. Unfortunate to be forced off with injury soon after Kane’s crucial goal.

Bongarts/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Christian Eriksen 8

The more influential he became, the more settled Spurs were. He was their only player who could take a second on the ball and play a pass but as he did so they started to take the sting out of the Dortmund pressure. And out of possession he moved out onto the right of Spurs’ 5-4-1, doing the hard pressing work that not every creative genius likes to do. Never looks out of place even on a stage as grand as this.

AFP/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Heung Min Son 6

Not his best game but he never stopped running, trying to stretch Dortmund with his runs and put them under pressure. Always reliable for tireless contributions to the team cause, as he showed here.

AFP/Getty Images

Player ratings from Dortmund vs Tottenham

Harry Kane 8

Barely got a touch in the first half, but who cares? He only needs one chance. He sent Spurs through with his first real opening, four minutes into the second half. Running onto Moussa Sissoko’s through pass, he took just enough time to gather himself and put the ball into the top corner. That is what Harry Kane is all about, delivering for his team in the biggest moments.

AP

Kane settles the tie

Harry Kane celebrates his goal (Bongarts/Getty)

Harry Kane’s second-half goal to kill this tie stone dead made him Tottenham’s leading goal scorer in European competition, taking him the 23 scored by Jermain Defoe.

Borussia Dortmund had to take risks to keep pressure under Tottenham and, eventually, they were going to get hit on the counter-attack.

All it took was one pass from Moussa Sissoko to completely bisect the Dortmund defence, with Kane running through on goal and burying his shot beyond Roman Burki.

Pochettino gets his tactics right

It was a good night for Mauricio Pochettino (Bongarts/Getty)

After the north London derby it was Unai Emery, and not Mauricio Pochettino, who was praised for having the better tactical plan.

But here, Spurs got their strategy spot on. This was a difficult assignment for Pochettino, who knew that he could not simply invite endless waves of pressure by keeping eleven men behind the wall, with Spurs instead switching to a robust 5-4-1 when not in possession.

With Christian Eriksen moving over to the right of midfield and Sissoko tucking in from his usual position, Spurs looked solid and proved difficult for a toothless Dortmund to break down.

Spurs buoyed by return of Winks

Harry Winks was forced off injured (Bongarts/Getty)

Victor Wanyama had a game to forget for Tottenham against Arsenal on Saturday. Stationed alongside Sissoko in Tottenham’s midfielder, the Kenya captain struggled to adapt to the frantic pace of the game and failed to provide his team with the control they required in the middle of the park.

In other words: they badly missed Harry Winks. The 23-year-old tonight made a surprise return to the Spurs line-up and immediately showed why he has become so important to this Mauricio Pochettino side, setting the tempo with his short passing and driving his team forward whenever possible.

And so what a shame that Winks was forced off midway through the second-half, with what looked to be a muscular injury. How Pochettino will pray that the midfielder is not out for an extended period of time.

Son misses his chance

Heung-min Son in action (Bongarts/Getty)

Heung-min Son absolutely loves playing against Borussia Dortmund. Prior to this evening’s fixture, in his 10 games against Dortmund, Son has bagged eight goals and been on the winning side six times.

In recognition of those facts, his every touch was vociferously whistled by Dortmund’s supporters, who quickly singled him out as the night’s pantomime villain. And they particularly enjoyed his first-half miss when played through by Christian Eriksen.

One-on-one with Burki it was the kind of chance Son usually gobbles up, but on this particular occasion the South Korea international could only fire wide, with the waves of Dortmund pressure resuming moments later.

Sancho fails to shine

Spurs kept a close eye on Jadon Sancho (Bongarts/Getty)

Jadon Sancho has shined this season for Borussia Dortmund, but this wasn’t to be the teenager’s night.

As Dortmund toiled, Sancho was still arguably his side’s best player: nobody completed more key passes and only central defender Manuel Akanji had a higher pass accuracy percentage.

Sancho even swapped wings in an attempt to make something happen, but Tottenham’s five-man defence held firm. This was to be Tottenham’s night.

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