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Harry Kane scored a goal in both halves to spur Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the first leg of their Europa League Round-of-16 tie.
The hosts came into this clash on the back of a morale-boosting 4-1 win away to Crystal Palace last weekend. Manager Jose Mourinho named a relatively strong squad for the visit of the Croatian champions.
Tottenham Hotspur started the game on the front foot and fashioned the best chances of the game early on. However, they failed to take them, with the visitors' resolute defense keeping them at bay.
Spurs got the goal their early pressure deserved in the 25th minute. Erik Lamela showed great skill and technique to skip across the Zagreb defense before an outrageous outside-of-the-boot flick bounced off the bottom post.
Harry Kane was on hand to tap the rebound into an empty net and give Tottenham Hotspur a deserved lead.
Despite controlling the rest of the first half, Spurs failed to double their lead and went into the break with just a goal to their name.
Mourinho made his first changes just past the hour mark, with three forwards coming on at once in a bid to inject more bite into the attack. Man-of-the-moment Gareth Bale came on in place of Erik Lamela, while Steven Bergwin and Lucas Moura replaced Dele Alli and Heung-min Son respectively.
Two of the substitutes combined almost immediately, with Bale's left-footed outside flick finding Bergwin at the far post. The Netherlands international then forced Dominik Livaković into a save with his one-time volley.
Tottenham Hotspur doubled their lead soon after. Serge Aurier sent a cross into the area and it looked like Dinamo Zagreb defender Theophile-Catherine had everything under control.
He, however, fluffed his lines just in front of the six-yard box. With a clinical striker like Kane lurking around, you are bound to get punished for such juvenile errors.
The England international pounced on the loose ball and took two touches to set himself up before calmly slotting a pristine finish beyond Livaković.
The rest of the game was played at cruise control, although Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg received a booking for a cynical challenge which was probably pre-medidated to wipe off his yellow card count.
There was also some slight concern in the 80th minute when Kane went down clutching his knee after being tackled by the Zagreb defense. The 27-year-old was substituted immediately, and cameras panned on him applying ice to his knee on the bench.
However, he seemed to be okay at the sound of the full-time whistle which would have come as a mighty relief for fans of the club.
The victory means that Tottenham Hotspur have now won their last five games in all competitions consecutively. Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Controlled Tottenham Hotspur performance puts them in prime position to secure a spot in the next round
Jose Mourinho prioritized getting a positive result on home turf, and this could be inferred from the strong starting lineup that he named.
The Tottenham Hotspur manager would have sought to round up the tie in the first leg. Despite not getting an overwhelming victory, a 2-0 first leg advantage is still convincing enough to take to Zagreb next week.
The home side showed their intent from the blast of the whistle and put their opponents on the backfoot for the rest of the game, with Hugo Lloris nothing more than a mere spectator.
The difference in class between the sides was painfully obvious throughout the fixture and in many ways, a 2-0 defeat flattered Dinamo Zagreb.
On the overall balance of play, Tottenham Hotspur were deserved winners. Despite not 'killing' the tie off with a more convincing victory, their clean sheet also gives them an added advantage heading into the second leg.
#4 Dele Alli endures another frustrating evening
It is no hidden secret that Dele Alli does not feature in Jose Mourinho's plans at Tottenham Hotspur, and the midfielder was close to joining PSG during the winter transfer window.
The 24-year-old has been on the peripheries of the squad in the league and has been limited to just Europa League action for most of the season.
There is an underlying belief that the former two-time PFA Young Player of the Year is not suited to Mourinho's tactical demands, and Alli himself has not done too much to change that perception.
He has mostly floundered by on the few occasions when he has been handed opportunities, and it was another case of him not doing enough against Dinamo Zagreb.
Despite coming up against seemingly inferior opposition, the former MK Dons man did not make too much of an impact before his substitution in the 64th minute.
#3 Perfect warm-up for North London derby
Tottenham Hotspur will host Arsenal on Sunday for the 202nd edition of the North London derby.
Both sides picked up convincing victories in Europe. While the Gunners got their pound of flesh from Olympiakos with a 3-1 victory away from home, Spurs were dominant in their victory over Dinamo Zagreb.
The win was Tottenham Hotspur's 5th victory on the bounce in all competitions and will put them in a buoyant mood for the visit of their city rivals.
#2 Poor Dinamo Zagreb fail to offer anything
Dinamo Zagreb impressively topped a group also containing Wolfsberger, CSKA Moscow and Feyenoord before comprehensively seeing off Krasnodar with home and away victories in the Round of 32.
Despite coming up against superior opposition in Tottenham Hotspur, the Croatian champions should have applied themselves more, considering what was at stake.
However, that failed to happen, and the visitors were played off the field across the 90 minutes. They failed to truly test Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham Hotspur goal and had just 32% possession of the ball.
#1 Harry Kane steps up to the plate for Tottenham Hotspur yet again
It is not a stretch to suggest that Harry Kane is playing the best football of his career this season. And this is saying something, considering his world-class displays over the last six years.
There were fears that the seemingly 'defensive' Mourinho would not utilize Kane properly. However, the Tottenham Hotspur number 10's performance this term had exposed the folly of such simplistic claims.
The England international came into this clash having scored two goals and provided two assists in the 4-1 demolition of Crystal Palace on Sunday, and it was another masterclass from him.
Kane has flourished in a deeper role this term, and it was from this position that he controlled the game, with his diagonal passing and pristine through balls slicing the Dinamo Zagreb defense on several occasions.
His brace took him to 26 goals and 16 assists from 37 games in all competitions. More than a few Tottenham Hotspur fans would have had their hearts in their mouths when their talisman went to the ground in pain towards the end of the fixture.
However, he looked to be okay but was taken off as a precaution ahead of key games in the rest of the season.
