World news – UA – Antwerp tames Tottenham in Europa League thanks to Lior Refaelov strike

Amid another sweltering week with three games on the agenda, Tottenham hoped the trip to Antwerp would demonstrate the effectiveness of their team depth they rely on to define their season Instead from this Tottenham finished with the worst possible result Key players were forced off the bench to save the game, but they were still outmatched by Antwerp, who rose to the top of Group J with a 1-0 victory

Ahead of the game, José Mourinho spoke at length about the number of options available to him in most positions, a talent so abundant that he says it ‘hurts’ to exclude quality players He made nine changes since their victory at Burnley

However, spending hours on the bench isn’t always conducive to smooth, confident football Steven Bergwijn, Dele Alli and Gareth Bale lined up behind Carlos Vinícius seemed like a strong second-string attack on paper, but it was their lack of minutes and time together which showed

The disjunction at the start was personified by Alli, who pressed well and found space, but still struggled to pick the right pass in the final third Mourinho had predicted Bale would steal, but the only things that flew were his many long-distance potty shots in the empty stands He stayed on the outskirts for much of his shift

Antwerp didn’t have such problems They came in with five straight wins in all competitions, leading the Jupiler League after 10 games They made Tottenham pay for their inconsistency, generating many key early chances

At half an hour, Ben Davies insisted too much on the ball in defense and it was caught in possession by Dieumerci Mbokani Mbokani floated towards a stranded Davinson Sánchez, the last defender, before feeding Lior Refaelov who thundered excellent finish in the net

The response after such a poor first half was immediate Mourinho opened the second with four substitutions at once, shooting Giovani Lo Celso, Alli, Bergwijn and Vinícius in favor of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Érik Lamela, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min If Alli’s occasional omission from the squad was painful for him, it surely left the Bosuilstadion feeling even worse “I didn’t do five because I was afraid of long 45 minutes without any changes to make,” said Mourinho “There’s only one to blame, it’s me I made it ‘team, I chose the starting players and at half time I tried to improve the situation but it was not enough The dynamics of the first half were there, the mentality of the first half -time was here and it’s hard to change « 

The locals had two chances to double their lead before the hour mark, as Refaelov did not take advantage of a misplaced pass from Winks in the opening minutes of half-time before the skillful Koji Miyoshi gave up in Mbokani a beautiful center At three meters, Mbokani’s arrival flew over the bar well.Finally, Mourinho replaced Bale with Harry Kane, a substitution that could hardly be more symbolic The balance of the game slowly began to shift as Tottenham went on the attack and testing the Antwerp defense resolved in the last half hour Led by ex-Leicester City defender Ritchie De Laet, the home side were keen to reduce Tottenham to a bitter defeat After arriving in Antwerp greeting all of his squad, Mourinho left with more clarity

« You know which is our best team », said Mourinho « You know the same as I know, that everyone knows But I still like to think that the players deserve an opportunity We have a great team with a lot good players It is my responsibility to give them opportunities to play and seize the chance with both hands and to be in conditions to ask for more And tonight my future choices will be very easy « 

Tottenham Hotspur FC, José Mourinho, Royal Antwerp FC, UEFA Europa League, Gareth Bale, Dele Alli