MX23RW : Friday, March 21 10:09:34| >> :120:66518:66518:

Tottenham Hotspur survive Panathinaikos scare

Tottenham book their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a 3-1 win over Panathinaikos at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham Hotspur have qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League with a 3-1 win over Panathinaikos at White Hart Lane.

Despite seeing Emmaneuel Adebayor's opener cancelled out by Zeca, the hosts rallied to claim the three points.

Both teams showed attacking intent from the first whistle and it was the visitors who nearly took the lead in the 20th minute when Toche saw his effort saved by Brad Friedel following Giourkas Seitaridis's free kick.

Spurs went ahead nine minutes later as Adebayor calmly slotted in after Clint Dempsey's through ball.

Tottenham Hotspur's Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates moments after scoring the opener on December 6, 2012© PA Photos

Sandro tried his luck from long distance soon after, but the midfielder saw his drive fly off target.

Spurs came within inches of doubling their advantage at the start of the second half when Jermain Defoe's came back off the post.

However, Panathinaikos drew themselves level with 54 minutes played thanks to Zeca's back-post header from Nikos Spyropoulos's cross.

Panathinaikos' Jose Carlos celebrates scoring the equaliser against Tottenham on December 6, 2012© PA Photos

The Greeks then enjoyed the better share of possession and almost went ahead with 20 minutes left to play as Toche poked the ball narrowly wide following some indecision in the Spurs box.

White Hart Lane breathed a collective sigh of relief in the 80th minute when Dempsey's header came back off the bar before going in via Orestis Karnezis.

Tottenham's Clint Dempsey celebrates scoring his team's second goal on December 6, 2012© PA Photos

The win was sealed with seven minutes remaining through Defoe's cheeky dink over the onrushing Karnezis.

ID:58217: cacheID:58217:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4727:
Written by
Jack Prescott
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Andre Villas-Boas
Read Next:
Panathinaikos 1-1 Spurs
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
QLazio861119
2Athletic Bilbao861119
3Man Utd853018
4Spurs852117
5Frankfurt851216
6Lyon843115
7Olympiacos843115
8Rangers842214
9Bodo/Glimt842214
10Anderlecht842214
11FCSB842214
12Ajax841313
13Real Sociedad841313
14Galatasaray834113
15Roma833212
16Plzen833212
17Ferencvaros840412
18Porto832311
19Midtjylland832311
20AZ832311
21Union SG832311
22FC Twente824210
23Fenerbahce824210
24Braga831410
25Elfsborg831410
26PAOK831410
27Hoffenheim82339
28Besiktas83059
29M. Tel Aviv82066
30Slavia Prague81255
31Malmo81255
32RFS81255
33Ludogorets80444
34Dynamo Kiev81164
35Nice80353
36Qarabag81073


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!