Mousa Dembele once told this newspaper about his obsession with scoring the perfect goal. Last night, after 89 minutes and 30 seconds of play and with Tottenham seemingly heading out of the Europa League, the Belgium midfielder managed to do just that.
He dropped his shoulder and hit the sweetest of left-foot shots from 20 yards. It sent manager Andre Villas-Boas and his support team into hysterics as they flooded on to the pitch, jumping and screaming.
It also set up a last-16 clash against Inter Milan next month, where Villas-Boas worked under Jose Mourinho.
Hero: Tottenham were minutes away from elimination before Mousa Dembele's crucial equaliser
Match facts
Lyon: Vercoutre, Lovren. Fofana, Reveillere, Bisevac, Umtiti, Greiner, Lacazette (Malbranque 65), Gonalons, Lisandro (Ghezzal 73), Gomis (Briand 82).
Subs not used: Lopes, Kone, Dabo, Ferri.
Goal: Gonalons 17.
Booked: Gonalons, Umtiti.
Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto, Parker (Livermore 84), Holtby (Sigurdsson 74), Dembele, Lennon (Dempsey 66), Bale, Adebayor.
Subs not used: Lloris, Naughton, Dawson, Caulker.
Goal: Dembele 90.
Booked: Gallas, Walker.
‘Everyone is buzzing to continue in this competition, which is why we reacted so joyfully,’ said Villas-Boas, who has yet to be knocked out of the Europa League as a manager. He won it with Porto in 2011.
‘Mousa Dembele certainly made the difference. We still have to make even bigger steps. Can we beat Inter Milan?
'It will be extremely difficult, but going through against Inter Milan and Lyon puts you in a good place to win the competition.’
In the early stages of Villas-Boas’s reign at Spurs, his team were prone to defensive lapses at the end of matches. Now they are winning late; growing into games then seizing the initiative when it matters.
Gareth Bale’s stoppage-time free-kick at White Hart Lane last week gave Tottenham the advantage in this tie, and Dembele’s strike cancelled out Maxime Gonalons’ 17th-minute goal for Lyon here.
Spurs started slowly and their central midfield had problems early on.
Crucial: Dembele's unexpected goal continues to underline his growing status at the club
Goalscorer: Maxime Gonalons' header had put Lyon in front in the 17th minute
They missed Sandro and, in Dembele and Scott Parker, had two very different players who tended to slow the play down.
Parker’s passing was awry or too conservative, while Dembele’s dribbling often prompted him to take an extra touch.
Bale looked aggrieved when the midfielder, head down, failed to spot his run.
Lewis Holtby worked hard in the second-striker role and hit the bar just before half-time, but Emmanuel Adebayor gave him little assistance.
The forward drew criticism from Jan Vertonghen and then Holtby when he failed to read their passes or react to their movement, although he improved noticeably in the second half.
The way in which Lyon targeted Spurs full backs Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto was another cause for concern.
The England right back’s challenge on Lisandro led to Lyon’s goal, as Clement Grenier whipped in a free-kick and Bale, inexplicably, turned his back and allowed Gonalons to bundle the ball in.
Villas-Boas pushed Bale through the middle as Tottenham went 4-4-2 after the break and within four minutes the Welshman had met Adebayor’s cross from the right, but put his shot wide.
Bale also saw a free-kick and two more shots saved by Remy Vercoutre, while substitute Clint Dempsey, missed two good chances.
Stunned: Tottenham's evening started badly with Lyon's opening goal
Substituted: Aaron Lennon was replaced by Clint Dempsey in the second half
Brad Friedel make a smart save from Grenier, but escaped embarrassment after a poor clearance later in the half.
The American raced off his line to beat Bafetimbi Gomis to a through ball, only to pass it to Lacazette.
A clumsy combination of Friedel and Assou-Ekotto cleared as Lacazette went down. Referee Wolfgang Stark opted not to award a penalty.
Ambitious: Andre Villas-Boas hopes to again win the Europa League
Rematch: Tottenham advanced to a last-16 tie against Inter Milan
Tottenham, though, seized the advantage as Lyon seemed content to sit back and try to defend.
It was a risky ploy and Remi Garde’s side were punished when Dembele ambled over to the left and took matters into his own hands.
Bale scored a hat-trick away against Inter then excelled in Spurs’ 3-1 win at White Hart Lane when the sides met in the 2010 Champions League. Villas-Boas called that a ‘special night’ for the club — and now they are hungry for more.
Eventually not: But Tottenham were extremely close to having only the Premier League's top four to play for
Among the favourites? Tottenham are one of the strongest sides left in the competition
EUROPA LEAGUE LAST-16 DRAW
Anzhi Makhachkala v Newcastle
Basle v Zenit St Petersburg
Benfica v Bordeaux
Levante v Rubin Kazan
Steaua Bucharest v Chelsea
Stuttgart v Lazio
Tottenham v Inter Milan
Viktoria Plzen v Fenerbahce
Matches to be played March 7 and 14
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2282439/Lyon-1-Tottenham-1--Mousa-Dembele-saves-Spurs-Europa-League-hopes-gasp-equaliser.html#ixzz2Lb3TYiqr
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