Erik Lamela took his time making it 200 Spurs appearances – but he signed it off with a superb Champions League double
AS double centuries go, only Sir Geoffrey Boycott has taken longer to reach one. But Erik Lamela celebrated his 200th appearance for Tottenham in style as he helped them get back to winning ways with a 5-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade. The Argentine capped a fine display with two assists and one goal – […]
AS double centuries go, only Sir Geoffrey Boycott has taken longer to reach one.
But Erik Lamela celebrated his 200th appearance for Tottenham in style as he helped them get back to winning ways with a 5-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade.
The Argentine capped a fine display with two assists and one goal – and it is not often we have been able to say that since Spurs signed him from Roma for a then-club record £30million in August 2013.
He was bought with the proceeds of Gareth Bale’s then-world record £86m sale to Real Madrid.
Bale money? At times Lamela’s displays were so criminal it felt more like bail money.
It has certainly seemed an awful lot of cash to pay for a rabona in a meaningless Europa League tie in 2014 and a double strike against Leicester in the final game of the 2017-18 campaign – his two previous most memorable matches in a Spurs shirt.
Admittedly he missed almost two seasons due to a serious double hip injury. Most of the other campaigns were missed due to sheer anonymity.
MORE TO COME?
It remains to be seen whether this will be another false dawn for Lamela, the man Spurs fans are still waiting to see fulfil his potential, despite being 27.
But he gave us another glimpse of his reported talent by producing a well-taken corner for Harry Kane’s sixth-minute opener and a brilliant cross for Son Heung-min to make it 2-0 in the 19th minute.
Lamela then scored his side’s fourth in the 57th minute as Spurs banished the painful memories – and the negative goal difference – caused by the 7-2 thrashing by Bayern Munich three weeks ago.
Mind you, if you cannot deliver against Red Star, who can you deliver against?
The boys from Belgrade played like a team of parcel delivery men as they gift-wrapped this Champions League victory to Spurs.
MORE SPURS STORIES
It was only the North Londoners’ third clean sheet of what has been a disappointing season so far.
The only time the Serbs got in behind them was when 350 of their fans – who were supposed to be banned from this fixture – congregated in the upper tier of the North Stand having somehow obtained tickets.
Tottenham can expect a fine from Uefa for allowing that to happen – but not even that is likely to ruin their night.