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Europa League | Group Stage
Nov 28, 2013 at 6pm UK
 
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0-2

FT(HT: 0-0)
Cauevic (63' og.), Dembele (75')

Live Commentary: Tromso IL 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur - as it happened

Sports Mole brings you live coverage of the Europa League clash between Tromso IL and Tottenham Hotspur.
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Tottenham Hotspur have secured top spot in Group K after a comfortable 2-0 victory over Tromso IL.

After a goalless first half, Spurs were gifted the lead when Tromso defender Adnan Causevic deflected the ball into his own net after a teasing free kick to the near post.

Moussa Dembele doubled their advantage 12 minutes later when he passed the ball into the net from eight yards as the visitors eased to their fifth successive triumph in the group.

Read below to see how the action unfolded in Norway.


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Hello, and welcome to Sports Mole's coverage of the match between Tromso IL and Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.

When Tottenham confirmed qualification three weeks ago, it appeared as though there would be little interest in their visit to Norway to play Tromso. However, after Spurs lost 6-0 to Manchester City and reports have linked Andre Villas-Boas with an exit from White Hart Lane, there is a bit more riding on tonight's performance in Scandinavia.

The team news is in from Norway, and Villas-Boas had made a massive nine changes to the team that started against Manchester City.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR XI: Friedel; Naughton, Chiriches, Dawson, Fryers; Capoue, Dembele, Chadli, Townsend, Sigurdsson; Soldado

TROMSO XI: Lekstrom; Frantzen, Fojut, Causevic, Kristiansen; Andersen, Johansen, Bendiksen, Drage; Ondrasek, Moldskred

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBSTITUTES: Archer, Fredericks, Vertonghen, Holtby, Lamela, McEvoy, Coulthirst

TROMSO SUBSTITUTES: Bakkelund; Norbye, Johnsen, Johnsen, Antonsen, Helmke, Espejord

So there you have it. Just Michael Dawson and Roberto Soldado retain their place from Sunday, but it's still a strong looking side for Spurs.

PREDICTION! While Spurs are rightly the clear favourites, I wouldn't expect them to have it all their own way on the artificial pitch in Norway. I'd expect Tromso to press early on, but as the game continues, Spurs should seal a comfortable 3-1 or 4-1 victory.

As you can imagine, it's looking pretty nippy in Norway. Hopefully the action will be a lot hotter on the pitch.

The two teams have just made their way out. The stadium looks extremely tight and there is some snow in the air. That should speed the ball up even more...

The snow has got a touch heavier. Nevertheless, Spurs will get us underway.

CHANCE! What a chance for Tromso! The ball was played in behind Michael Dawson into the path of Zdenek Ondrasek, but he dragged his 12-yard effort wide. That should have been a goal.

Tromso are bossing this. They look extremely lively around the penalty area, and the Spurs defence look petrified about making a challenge.

Spurs finally get a bit of possession, and understandably, they are trying to slow the action down. They must have put together at least 20 passes, but the ball was disappointingly given away by Chadli.

Anyone remember the famous Tromso vs. Chelsea match in the late nineties? Well it's nowhere near that extreme yet, but the snow is beginning to sit on the pitch and the surrounding areas.

More good work on the ball from Spurs, but their final ball is lacking at the moment. Given his struggles in the Premier League, it will be interesting to see how Roberto Soldado plays tonight. He has been given the nod this evening because of Jermain Defoe previously suffering injuries on artificial surfaces.

Zeki Fryers makes an encouraging run down the left, but his cross is poor and headed out for a corner. Soldado get a flick on the resulting set piece, but it's just out of the reach of Capoue at the back post.

Good work from Dembele sees him advance into the penalty area, but Sigurdsson's 30-yard strike is always rising and clears the crossbar. Spurs have got a hold of the game now, but they still need a goal to make their dominance count.

CHANCE! That was the closest that Spurs have come. Soldado and Townsend link up to create an opportunity for Sigurdsson on the right-hand side of the penalty area, but he fires his 14-yard effort marginally wide of the far post.

It's coming. Townsend lays the ball off for Capoue, and although he scuffed his shot from outside the penalty area, it struck a defender and trickled agonisingly wide of the post.

We are past the midway point of the half, and the match is panning out pretty much as you would expect, without the end product. It's surely only a matter of time...

SHOT! Townsend tries his luck from 25 yards, but his low effort is smothered by Lekstrom, who recovered well to prevent the ball going for a corner.

There's around 15 minutes remaining in the other game in this group, where it is currently 1-1 between Anzhi and Sheriff. If that remains the same, Spurs will top the group, regardless of the score in this match.

CHANCE! Townsend is becoming an increasing threat on the right. He drilled a cross into Chadli, whose header looked to be heading for the top corner, but it drifted marginally wide of the upright.

CHANCE! That's a terrible attempt from Chadli. Sigurdsson plays a delightful through ball with the outside of his boot for the Moroccan, but after the winger moved into the penalty area, he sent a left-foot shot skywards. He should have at least tested the goalkeeper.

Soldado is looking extremely frustrated on his own in attack. When he gets the ball, he looks capable, but the problem is getting the ball to him!

HALF TIME: Tromso 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Yevgen Aranovsky decides not to add any time on at the end of the half, and it's goalless at half time between Tromso and Spurs. The Premier League side have dominated, but they haven't forced Tromso goalkeeper Lekstrom into a significant save.

Tromso's one and only attempt on goal came in the opening 60 seconds, and they really should have scored from it. Since then, Spurs have created seven opportunities, won five corners and had 70% of the possession.

There's some good news for Spurs emerging from Russia. Anzhi have been held by Sheriff, which means that the White Hart Lane outfit have won the group. Will that result in Andre Villas-Boas blooding a couple of youngsters in the second half?

There's also good news for a Premier League team in Group A. Kuban Krasnodar have thrashed St Gallen, ensuring that Swansea City will qualify for the knockout stages, regardless of their result against Valencia later this evening.

Apologies. Swansea still need a point, but still, they are almost there.

We are back underway in Norway.

Michael Dawson concedes a needless corner after reacting slowly to an inswinging cross. It's a decent delivery, but the Spurs defence head clear.

It's been a little bit of a sloppy start from Villas-Boas's men. There have been several stray passes, and they are inviting pressure onto themselves.

BOOKING! Again, it's sloppy from Spurs. Townsend gives the ball away, which brings an end to an attack, and after Tromso break forward, Michael Dawson is forced to cynically foul the attacker.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Spurs have the ball in the net, but the referee has ruled it out after the ball ricocheted off Soldado's ankle and onto his arm. The ball was then played to Sigurdsson who netted, but the whistle had already gone.

BOOKINGS! Spurs are all over the shop. Capoue and Soldado have both been cautioned in the space of a couple of minutes after clear fouls on Tromso players. Villas-Boas must be going mad on the touchline because Spurs haven't got going since the break.

The home crowd are beginning to get into this. After such a disappointing campaign, they are rightly making the most of their side troubling one of the Premier League's elite.

There should be some kind of investigation into whether Chadli is wearing his boots on the correct feet, because every time he has been given a chance to shoot, it's gone miles wide of the mark. Townsend had found him on the edge of the area, but he curls his attempt a few yards wide of the far post.

GOAL! Tromso 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Causevic own goal)

That's the breakthrough that Villas-Boas would have craved. A free kick was drilled to the near post for Chiriches, and although the Romanian defender missed it, the ball bounced off Causevic and into the bottom corner.

There was a look of relief on the Tottenham player's faces after that goal. They have been far from impressive in attack, which has been a common feature this season, but they have the opener.

SUBSTITUTIONS! Villas-Boas makes his first changes of the evening, bringing on Vertonghen and Holtby for Fryers and Chadli.

Despite conceding the goal, Tromso are continuing to press Spurs back, and after winning a corner kick, Fojut rose highest to get his head to the ball, but his effort was straight at Friedel.

GOAL! Tromso 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Dembele)

Spurs grab their second goal, and surely wrap up the game. Townsend and Holtby combined to get the ball through to Dembele, aided by a deflection from a defender, and he makes no mistake from eight yards.

WOODWORK! Moments after his first of the season, Dembele should have had a second. The Belgian moved clear on goal, but after striking the post with his initial effort, he hit the side-netting when granted with an open goal.

When the score was goalless, Spurs displayed little desire to win the ball back, but now they are two goals up, they are chasing everything down. Weird. Lamela and Holtby are particularly eager to make an impression ahead of Tottenham's match with Manchester United at the weekend.

Capoue has just gone down heavily after a late challenge, but he is soon back on his feet, much to the relief of Villas-Boas.

Spurs look content to play the ball around and see out time. It's been far from impressive, but they had got the job done.

BOOKING! Moussa Dembele has been left on the deck after a studs-up challenge from Fojut, who is deservedly handed a yellow card.

There will be three minutes of added-on time.

FULL TIME: Tromso 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

The referee blows his full-time whistle, and Spurs have recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory over Tromso. It was far from spectacular, but Andre Villas-Boas will be satisfied with a win and a clean sheet.

That will be all from Sports Mole for this match, but please stick around - we have plenty more Europa League action coming up shortly!

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Spurs boss Andre Villas Boas on the touchline during the match against Man City on November 24, 2013
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