Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 1, Partizan Belgrade 0.
- Spurs reach last 32
- Pitch intruders force brief suspension
- Benjamin Stambouli scores his first goal for Spurs
Tottenham secured their place in the Europa League knockout stage with victory over Partizan Belgrade, but their achievement was overshadowed by three first-half pitch intruders.
The match was suspended by the referee for 10 minutes just before the break following the third incident.
Benjamin Stambouli scored a second-half winner when he followed up a Roberto Soldado shot that hit the post.
Soldado also had a close-range shot blocked by goalkeeper Milan Lukac.
It proved another frustrating night in front of goal for Tottenham's Spanish striker. Aside from those two efforts, he also failed to connect with Erik Lamela's teasing ball across the six-yard area.
The 29-year-old's failure to score means it is only two goals in 13 appearances this season, and 13 in total since he signed at the start of last season for £26m.
However, the home crowd recognised that he was one of better Spurs performers on the night by applauding when he came off in the second half - and he played an integral part in the goal.
The 49th-minute breakthrough resulted from the best move of the match. Soldado played a deft one-two with Stambouli before firing a shot against the upright. The French midfielder followed up with a crashing finish past Lukac - his first goal for the club.
Soldado was more accurate when he managed to get hold of one of the three intruders who invaded the White Hart Lane pitch.
The separate incidents happened in the first half, with referee Yevhen Arnovskiy bringing the players off after the third occurrence. Following a brief conference, the players re-emerged to play what remained of the first half.
After the break, Mauricio Pochettino's men were much improved. The early goal lifted them, and Paulinho and Lamela went close with shots from distance, while top scorer Harry Kane, who replaced Soldado, had a free-kick pushed away by Lukac.
Group C's bottom side Partizan troubled their opponents in the first half with efforts from Danko Lazovic and Nikola Ninkovic, although the closest they came was in the closing stages when France keeper Hugo Lloris clawed away Vladimir Volkov's header.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino:
"Job done. I am pleased for our supporters and the players. We played better than them and deserved the win.
"It's always good when a player scores and especially for Stambouli. I'm happy for him.
"We can now focus on the Premier League. It is important to get the victory and I am happy for our supporters and the players."
Line-ups
Tottenham
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Lloris
- 16Naughton
- 6Chiriches
- 5Vertonghen
- 33Davies
- 25StambouliBooked at 51mins
- 19DembéléSubstituted forBentalebat 56'minutes
- 7Lennon
- 8PaulinhoSubstituted forWinksat 87'minutes
- 11Lamela
- 9SoldadoSubstituted forKaneat 65'minutes
Substitutes
- 13Vorm
- 15Dier
- 18Kane
- 23Eriksen
- 42Bentaleb
- 44Winks
- 46Ball
Partizan Belgrade
Formation 4-5-1
- 25Lukac
- 30IlicBooked at 86mins
- 13Cirkovic
- 6Stankovic
- 3Volkov
- 14GrbicBooked at 72mins
- 22IlicSubstituted forMarinkovicat 74'minutes
- 21Markovic
- 11NinkovicSubstituted forZivkovicat 62'minutes
- 27Lazovic
- 32SkuleticSubstituted forKojicat 78'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Zivkovic
- 5Petrovic
- 7Luka
- 9Kojic
- 10Beko Fofana
- 17Zivkovic
- 29Marinkovic
- Referee:
- Yevgen Aranovsky
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home66%
- Away34%
- Shots
- Home19
- Away9
- Shots on Target
- Home6
- Away3
- Corners
- Home8
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home17
- Away10
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Tottenham Hotspur 1, Partizan Belgrade 0.
Post update
Offside, Partizan Belgrade. Nenad Marinkovic tries a through ball, but Petar Grbic is caught offside.
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Attempt missed. Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Vlad Chiriches with a headed pass following a corner.
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Attempt blocked. Benjamin Stambouli (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Harry Kane with a cross.
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Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Milan Lukac.
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Attempt saved. Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Harry Winks.
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Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Lazar Cirkovic.
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Attempt missed. Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by Benjamin Stambouli following a fast break.
Substitution
Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Winks replaces Paulinho.
Booking
Branko Ilic (Partizan Belgrade) is shown the yellow card.
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Foul by Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur).
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Branko Ilic (Partizan Belgrade) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt missed. Andrija Zivkovic (Partizan Belgrade) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left following a set piece situation.
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Attempt saved. Vladimir Volkov (Partizan Belgrade) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Petar Grbic with a cross.
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Foul by Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur).
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Vladimir Volkov (Partizan Belgrade) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur).
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Danko Lazovic (Partizan Belgrade) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Aaron Lennon tries a through ball, but Harry Kane is caught offside.