Europa League: Gareth Bale nets brilliant double as Tottenham edge out Lyon
Last Updated: February 15, 2013 6:30am
Gareth Bale: Scored two stunning free-kicks as Tottenham beat Lyon 2-1
Gareth Bale continued his superb run of form with two goals from free-kicks as Tottenham claimed a narrow 2-1 victory over Lyon in the first leg of their Europa League tie.
It looked like Bale might just be upstaged when his first wonder goal was cancelled out early in the second half by Samuel Umtiti's stunning strike.
However, the Welshman netted again in the dying seconds to give Spurs a narrow advantage ahead of next week's return leg.
Lyon posed some problems for the home side early on and had a decent penalty shout turned down when Bafetimbi Gomis tumbled under a challenge from Jan Vertonghen.
Tottenham applied pressure down the right through Aaron Lennon and Kyle Walker, while Emmanuel Adebayor fired wide after being released by a terrific Mousa Dembele pass.
Bale then spurned a glorious chance to break the deadlock when he shot wide from close range after Walker's low cross had served up what looked to be the simplest of finishes.
However, Bale made amends with a fantastic 35-yard free-kick on the stroke of half-time which dipped and swerved as it flew past Remy Vercoutre.
Lyon came out strongly after the interval and equalised with a magnificent goal in the 55th minute. William Gallas' clearing header found Umtiti on the corner of the area and he smashed a rasping half-volley into the top corner.
The goal lifted Lyon and Alexandre Lacazette went close to putting them ahead after a weaving run, only for Friedel to tip his shot over.
Tottenham weathered the storm and pressed forward again as Bale was twice denied by Vercoutre.
Bale continued to provide the main threat and, after again being denied by Vercoutre with just a few minutes remaining, he was handed another chance in stoppage time following a foul 25 yards from goal.
Like his first goal, Bale again managed to get his shot over the wall and back down again to beat a despairing Vercoutre.
| Tottenham Hotspur | Team Statistics | Lyon |
| 2 | Goals | 1 |
| 1 | 1st Half Goals | 0 |
| 5 | Shots on Target | 4 |
| 4 | Shots off Target | 3 |
| 2 | Blocked Shots | 3 |
| 6 | Corners | 4 |
| 12 | Fouls | 10 |
| 3 | Offsides | 3 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 84 | Passing Success | 76.2 |
| 20 | Tackles | 23 |
| 65 | Tackles Success | 91.3 |
| 58.3 | Possession | 41.7 |
| 48.9 | Territorial Advantage | 51.1 |
| 470 | Total Passes | 336 |
| 21 | Total Crosses | 12 |
| 152 | Lost Balls | 144 |
| 52 | Recoveries | 53 |
| 57.6 | 1st Half Poss. | 42.4 |
| 59.1 | 2nd Half Poss. | 40.9 |
Post Comment
Matches
-
Europa League
Tables
Europa League Group A
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 10 |
| 2 | Anzhi Makhachkala | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | BSC Young Boys Bern | 6 | 10 |
| 4 | Udinese | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group B
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Viktoria Plzen | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Atletico Madrid | 6 | 12 |
| 3 | Academica | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | Hapoel Tel-Aviv | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group C
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenerbahce | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Borussia Monchengladbach | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Marseille | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | AEL | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group D
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bordeaux | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | Maritimo | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Club Brugge | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group E
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Steaua Bucuresti | 6 | 11 |
| 2 | Stuttgart | 6 | 8 |
| 3 | FC Copenhagen | 6 | 8 |
| 4 | Molde | 6 | 6 |
Europa League Group F
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dnipro | 6 | 15 |
| 2 | Napoli | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | PSV Eindhoven | 6 | 7 |
| 4 | AIK | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group G
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genk | 6 | 12 |
| 2 | Basel | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | Videoton FC Fehervar | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Sporting Lisbon | 6 | 5 |
Europa League Group H
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rubin Kazan | 6 | 14 |
| 2 | Inter Milan | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Partizan Belgrade | 6 | 3 |
| 4 | FC Neftchi | 6 | 3 |
Europa League Group I
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyon | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Sparta Prague | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | Athletic Bilbao | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | Hapoel Kiryat Shmona | 6 | 2 |
Europa League Group J
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lazio | 6 | 12 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Panathinaikos | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | Maribor | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group K
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metalist Kharkiv | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 13 |
| 3 | Rosenborg | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Rapid Vienna | 6 | 3 |
Europa League Group L
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hannover 96 | 6 | 12 |
| 2 | Levante | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Helsingborgs IF | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | FC Twente | 6 | 4 |
