If nothing else, there is something to be said for the idea that staying afloat in awkward away games is a necessary skill. Little more could be taken from a grim night’s work by Tottenham, who should have been well beaten by an inventive and ambitious Monaco.
The smattering of full-time boos from their travelling fans cut through in a mostly atmosphere-free venue and, while this is hardly a time for alarm bells, the absence of any outfield player capable of seizing the day was stark.
It was left for Guglielmo Vicario, a heavily questioned figure at times this season, to do that. Monaco aimed 23 shots his way and five of them brought particularly impressive saves, the first half at one stage resembling a personal duel between the Italian and the striker Folarin Balogun. They spurned other chances too and it would have been nothing short of outrageous if a rare piece of attacking cohesion from Spurs had brought a late goal from Brennan Johnson.
Maybe Tottenham’s existing personnel do not have the clinical edge demanded for such a smash and grab. That might not have been said about some of their high-profile predecessors. There was a painful hesitancy when they did manage to commit players forward; the only real bright spots came from Wilson Odobert, who is clearly benefiting from a run of games and was behind a handful of promising first-half moments.
“It’s not the worst thing, on a bad day, to get a point and a clean sheet,” Thomas Frank said. “We didn’t hit the performance we wanted to.”
The outcome, however workaday, had been distinctly unfamiliar. Spurs had not played out a goalless draw since facing Milan in March 2023, a run of 125 games. It is fair to point out that chaos was considered normal for too long but they must find a formula to ensure the pendulum does not swing too far back.
Frank was concerned mostly with a lack of intensity among his players, which manifested itself in a particularly listless second period. But they had been off the pace before then, the Arsenal old boy Balogun finding Vicario in his way three times. A smart block in the 10th minute commenced the face-off, which continued when a delicious scoop from Maghnes Akliouche put Balogun clear only for the keeper to stand tall and save brilliantly. The last of those stops, repelling a first-time effort at full stretch, was possibly even better.
Akliouche, a willowy throwback with bewitching ability on the ball, tormented Spurs all night. They had, in fact, monitored him in pre‑season and could have benefited from his guile here. Nobody really compared although Odobert, with a useful delivery from the left, set up a headed chance for Micky van de Ven and would have laid on a clear opportunity for Richarlison had Mohammed Salisu not slid in to intervene.
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Champions League roundup: Karl and Kane make mark for Bayern
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Harry Kane scored his 23rd goal in 15 games for club and country this season as Bayern Munich cruised to a 4-0 victory over Club Bruges. The 17-year-old Lennart Karl became the youngest Bayern player to find the back of the net in the Champions League when he opened the scoring with a stylish long-range strike.
The England captain, Kane, then registered for the eighth successive game in club football for the first time in his career before Luis Díaz and Nicolas Jackson wrapped up a comprehensive win to leave Bayern second in the Champions League table after three matches.
Gorka Guruzeta scored twice as Athletic Club bounced back to beat Karabagh 3-1 and belatedly open their account. Leandro Andrade had given the visitors a first-minute lead, but Guruzeta levelled before the break and, after Robert Navarro had given the hosts the lead, Guruzeta cemented victory with his second two minutes from time.
Victor Osimhen helped himself to a double to ease Galatasaray to a 3-1 home win over Bodø/Glimt while second-half goals from the substitutes Geny Catamo and Alisson Santos handed Sporting a 2-1 comeback win over Marseillewho had Emerson sent off. PA Media
Otherwise it was Monaco asking questions of a weakened Totttenham defence that, for all Archie Gray competed gamely at left-back, was frequently exposed down the wings. They had impressed in drawing with Manchester City three weeks ago and now, under their new manager Sébastien Pocognoli, scented a chance to go one better. For a short spell after the break it appeared Spurs’ ship had been steadied but they were soon reliant on Vicario again.
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If a parry from Aleksandr Golovin, on as a substitute, seemed relatively routine, a near point-blank stop to deny Jordan Teze a certain goal was hair-raising. “He played a fantastic game,” Frank said of his No 1. “I think some of the saves were exceptional tonight. He’s a big part of why we got a hard-fought point.”
Nonetheless Vicario’s showing would have been a footnote if Thilo Kehrer had not, to his evident frustration, planted a header wide or Takumi Minamino had rounded off a sublime move by volleying in. Minamino missed three opportunities, all of them presentable, after coming on; he had at least earned them through exceptional movement and Frank was unable to conjure such spark from his own bench.
When Johnson’s strike inside the penalty area was blocked, that was confirmed. It also ensured the away contingent’s only moment of rapture had come in serenading Eric Dier, now a Monaco player and ruled out with a hamstring injury, as he made his way out of the tunnel for the second half.
In his best days, Dier might have prevented Spurs from wavering on an occasion such as this. “Today was not top,” Frank said. Even bang average might have brought a warmer send‑off from their support.
