Anorthosis 1, Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Tottenham win 7-2 on agg): Jol's blushes are spared by Keane
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Your support makes all the difference.The Tottenham manager, Martin Jol, was once again forced to brush off suggestions that he is under pressure after his side narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat last night in Cyprus en route to the Uefa Cup group stages.
Spurs, who led 6-1 after the first-leg at White Hart Lane two weeks ago, trailed 1-0 after Fabio De Matos Pereira, known as Fabinho, gave Anorthosis Famagusta the lead. But Robbie Keane came off the bench to save Jol from a real grilling.
"I'm used to it," Jol said. "I have to cope with it. It's been going on for the last six or seven weeks – but I feel in the last month we have done well... I'm sick of people even talking about it to be honest. We are trying to do a job for the team and to get a result.
"It was good not getting beaten. We knew it would be tough – 6-1 flattered us a little bit in the first leg, but we did our job. The most important thing is we're through to the next round, so we go home happy."
Jol looked as relaxed as he has been all season as Spurs created chances for Jermain Defoe in the first half. But he was more animated in the second half when Fabinho scored – and he then brought on Gareth Bale and Keane.
Kevin-Prince Boateng was given his Spurs debut following his summer move from Hertha Berlin, and the young German was quickly in the action as he flew into tackles and sent over crosses from the right. Aside from a Fabinho shot, Famagusta were struggling to impose themselves on Spurs early on, although they had clearly targeted set-pieces as the visitors' weakness.
It was only Defoe's second start of the season. He had scored twice in the first leg and had plenty of chances to add to his tally last night but it was Famagusta who took the lead in the 54th minute when Nikolaos Frousos appeared to control a hanging cross with his arm and pulled the ball back for Fabinho to volley neatly into the bottom corner, giving Paul Robinson no chance. Robinson was booked for his protests.
Keane came on for Lee Young-Pyo and he got his goal in the 78th minute. Bale crossed from the left and Darren Bent dummied, with Keane side-footing into the top corner.
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