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Son shines as Spurs power surge rocks Dortmund

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AFP London
Last Updated : Feb 14 2019 | 10:00 AM IST

Tottenham took a huge step towards reaching the Champions League quarter-finals as Son Heung-min inspired their 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 first leg.

Mauricio Pochettino's side had been under the cosh as Dortmund dominated the first half at Wembley on Wednesday, but Hugo Lloris kept them level with a series of fine saves.

That set the stage for a sublime second half from Tottenham, who were sparked into life by a fine finish from South Korea forward Son.

Son's fourth goal in his last four appearances took him to 16 for the season, but none have been as priceless as this one.

Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen capped his own powerful performance when he swept in their second goal in the closing stages and substitute Fernando Llorente's late third put the seal on a remarkable result.

Although Tottenham still have to survive the second leg at Signal Iduna Park on March 5, they have a golden opportunity to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2011.

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It was an especially impressive success for Pochettino given he was without the injured Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Ben Davies.

Pochettino devised a clever game-plan that eventually frustrated Dortmund and secured Tottenham's first ever Champions League knockout-round win at home.

With Rose and Davies sidelined, Pochettino deployed centre-back Vertonghen out of position at left wing-back and switched to a three-man defence that stifled the Bundesliga leaders.

Pochettino had insisted Tottenham would be able to ignore the draining effects of a gruelling schedule which he felt left them at a "massive disadvantage".

And his passionate talk of seeing the "energy" in his players' eyes as they looked forward to a big Champions League night proved prescient as they worked tirelessly to leave Dortmund helpless to stem the tide.

Lucas Moura gave Tottenham an early spark when he latched onto Davinson Sanchez's header and smashed a volley just wide from the edge of the area.

Juan Foyth gifted Dortmund their first sight of goal when he dwelt on the ball too long and was alertly dispossessed by Christian Pulisic.

But Lloris spared Foyth's blushes as he blocked Pulisic's shot at the near post.

- Perseverance rewarded -
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Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

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First Published: Feb 14 2019 | 10:00 AM IST

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