Tottenham 5 - Asteras Tripolis 1: Erik Lamela stunner leads Spurs to Europa League win

Posted Friday, October 24, 2014 by Dailystar.co.uk

IT TAKES something special to overshadow a hat-trick scoring striker who ends the night playing in goal.

Tottenham 5 - Asteras Tripolis 1: Erik Lamela stunner leads Spurs to Europa League win
SUBLIME: Erik Lamela celebrates his stunning Rabona strike

And that is exactly what Erik Lamela produced at White Hart Lane last night.

Lamela scored a once in a lifetime goal by putting one foot behind the other to ensure Tottenham did not trip up against Tripolis.

Harry Kane helped blow Asteras Tripolis with a hat-trick as Spurs left the Greeks in ruins.

Kane started and finished the scoring and ended the game picking the ball out of the net after replacing Hugo Lloris in goal after he’d been sent off.

But even after his role in a bizarre and eventful climax to Spurs first Europa League group win of the season he still couldn’t overshadow two-goal Lamela’s first strike of the night.

With one audacious swing of his left leg two-goal Lamela showed why Tottenham had to splash out £30m to sign him.

The Argentinian produced a once-in-a-lifetime Rabona goal to light up White Hart Lane and help kickstart Tottenham’s Europa League bid after draws in their first two games.

Lamela’s second goal wasn’t bad either, a stunning second-half volley on a night to remember for the Spurs winger.

But it was his sensational first that will live longest in the memory.

Lamela put Spurs 2-0 up by swinging his favoured left foot behind his standing right leg to send a jaw-dropping effort screaming into the top corner.

Only the most skilful players would try and pull off a rabona while lesser ones like, infamously, ex-Birmingham midfielder David Dunn, have been left tripping over their own feet.

So, even against limited opponents and hidden away in the Europa League on a Thursday night, it was a sign of the huge talent Lamela posseses.

Tottenham have only seen it in glimpses since his mega money move from Roma last summer.

As well as savouring the strike, Spurs fans will hope it is a sign of better things to come and more often from the 22 year-old.

If there was one shame it was that Lamela produced one of the great White Hart Lane goals when the ground was only two-thirds full.

Last night was one Europa League group stage night when those who chose the sofa over the stadium missed out.

England Under-21 striker Kane got the scoring underway when he fired a 25 yarder into the bottom corner on 13 minutes - then came Lamela’s
moment of magic in the 29th minute.

There seemed little on when the ball rolled his way after the recalled Emmanuel Adebayor lost a challenge on the edge of Tripolis box.

It would have been easier to try his luck with his weaker right foot but one-footed Lamela wanted to use his stronger left and the end
result was unforgettable.

Most inside the ground and even some of Lamela’s team-mates didn’t quite realise what had happened until replays went up on the big
screen.

And it was a fitting tribute to their greatest manager ever, 1961 double winning boss Bill Nicholson, on the night Spurs marked the 10th
anniversary of his death.

Lamela smashed in his second in the 66th minute after his first attempt was blocked before Kane completed his treble with two late
close range finishes.

There was still time for Lloris to see red after he brought down Tasos Tsokanis. Tripolis sub Jeronimo Barrales’s free-kick was hardly a piledriver, but Kane embarrassingly let it slip through his grasp and into the net after pulling on the gloves.

But even after that hard-to-believe finish, it was still Lamela’s goal that had the supporters shaking their heads as they left the Lane.

TOTTENHAM: Lloris; Dier, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies; Capoue, Dembele; Lamela (Eriksen 76), Kane, Townsend (Lennon 82); Adebayor (Chadli 76).
Subs: Vorm, Chiriches, Stambouli, Soldado.

ASTERAS TRIPOLIS: Kosicky; Lluy, Sankare, Zisopoulos, Panteliadas; Munafo; Mazza (Bakasetas 82), Usero, Rolle (Barrales 73), Tsokanis;
Parra (Fernandez 80). Subs: Theodoropoulos, Badibanga, Gianniotas, Kiriakopolous.