Champions League 2018/19: Lloris sees red as Spurs close in on elimination
A moment of madness from French World Cup winning captain Hugo Lloris all but sent Tottenham Hotspur crashing out of the Champions League last night.
With just 10 minutes of the match remaining, and with the score deservedly set at 2-1 in favour of the London side, the goalkeeper needlessly raced out of his box to intercept a ball, only to bring down Hirving Lozano in the process.
After a number of high profile errors by the keeper in recent times, including a costly mistake against Barcelona, and an embarrassing faux pas in the World Cup final, this blunder may yet prove to be the most costly of them all. Certainly, if you're a Spurs fan.
Add to all this his drink-driving charge earlier in the year which contributed to a leg injury that kept him out for a number of weeks, and Mauricio Pochettino must be left wondering what he has to do to bring focus back to his number one keeper.
There's little doubting the keeper's shot-stopping qualities, distribution from the back, and tremendous leadership skills for club and country, but right now, the manager will have to work very hard to bring his once-trusted keeper's confidence back.
It must be said, too, that this was indeed a real shame, and a golden opportunity lost for The Lilywhites. The team arguably put on their best performance of the season so far, and should really have scored many more than just the two from Moura and Kane.
Indeed the front four of Eriksen, Moura, the impressive Son Heung Min, and Kane looked formidable at times, and really should have put the game to bed long before Lloris's rush of blood to the head.
Currently, with the 3 games that remain, Spurs find themselves joint-bottom of group B with just one point, while Inter lie second with six and Barça first with nine.
Indeed only a run of wins and a reliance on other results can assist them, but these all seem rather remote now.