News in English:
Tottenham Secures Home Win with Own Goal in Yellow Card-Filled Match
London, September 16, 2025 – Tottenham Hotspur defeated Villarreal in a match held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, for the first day of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. The only goal of the game came early, in the 4th minute, thanks to an own goal by Luiz Junior after a play assisted by L. Bergvall.
Tottenham enjoyed a favorable ball possession, holding 58% of the ball. However, this possession superiority did not translate into greater offensive effectiveness, as only one of their 9 shots was on target. Villarreal, on the other hand, sought the rival goal on 10 occasions, although none of their shots managed to seriously trouble the local goalkeeper.
The match was characterized by a physical game and strict refereeing. Referee Rade Obrenovič, from Slovenia, showed a total of seven yellow cards, four to Tottenham players (X. Simons, Richarlison, R. Kolo Muani and M. van de Ven) and three to Villarreal players (S. Comesana, S. Mourino and R. Veiga). Marcelino, Villarreal’s coach, was also cautioned. Both teams committed 13 fouls throughout the match. Despite Tottenham’s territorial dominance, Villarreal showed defensive solidity, preventing the home side from extending their lead.
Substitutions tottenham: at minute 69 P. M. Sarr came in and J. Palhinha went out., at minute 69 D. Spence came in and D. Udogie went out., at minute 77 X. Simons came in and B. Johnson went out., at minute 77 Richarlison came in and R. Kolo Muani went out., at minute 90 L. Bergvall came in and K. Danso went out.
Substitutions villarreal: at minute 75 A. Perez came in and A. Pedraza went out., at minute 75 S. Cardona came in and I. Akhomach went out., at minute 78 S. Comesana came in and D. Parejo went out., at minute 78 P. Gueye came in and T. Partey went out., at minute 82 T. Buchanan came in and A. Moleiro went out.
The teams lined up as follows:
Tottenham
Titulares:
Villarreal
Titulares:
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