Mura 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points as 10-man Spurs stunned in stoppage-time | UEFA Europa Conference 2021-22
Ten-man Tottenham Hotspur suffered a stunning 2-1 loss to Mura in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday. Amadej Marosa scored the winner for the Slovenian team in the 94th minute for arguably their biggest result in history.
Spurs, heavy favorites to win coming into the match, put up another shoddy display, especially at the back. Tomi Horvat opened the scoring for the hosts just 11 minutes into the match following some calamitous defending.
Things went from bad to worse after Ryan Sessegnon was sent off just past the half-hour mark. It left Spurs playing with a numerical disadvantage for over 60 minutes.
Harry Kane appeared to provide some hope with an equalizer midway through the second-half. But more defensive errors meant Marosa snatched a stoppage-time winner.
Conte lost his first game in-charge at Tottenham. But more importantly, it leaves their progression hopes in limbo ahead of the must-win fixture against group leaders Rennes on the final day.
Here are the five talking points from the match:
#5 Mura's greatest night?
Mura came into existence just over nine years ago, plying their trade in Slovenia's fourth-tier for two years before slowly working their way up.
Not much was expected of them when the Black and Whites qualified for their first ever group stage of a major European club competition. They had lost in all four games coming into last night's encounter.
NŠ Mura:
▪️ 5th in the Slovenian league
▪️ were only formed in 2012
▪️ don’t have a club crest when you search them on Google
▪️ had never won a group game in Europe until today
▪️ just beat Tottenham 2-1
Damn. https://t.co/EzOYzOAVtC
But despite having no hopes of reaching the knockout stages, Mura sprung a surprise by defeating the strongest team in the group on paper. They were clinical in front of goal and capitalized on Tottenham's defensive mistakes.
It was undoubtedly their greatest victory; a win the fans inside the stadium won't ever forget.
#4 Sessegnon's big words come to nothing
"I'll take my chances with both hands", said an upbeat Ryan Sessegnon before the match. It was billed as his return to the XI following a lengthy injury spell that had kept him out for weeks.
However, it only took 31 minutes into kick-off for his night to turn into a nightmare. The former Fulham player got sent off for two silly challenges and left Spurs in a lurch.
◉ Ryan Sessegnon starts his first game for Antonio Conte
◉ Ryan Sessegnon is sent off after 32 minutes
The new manager will not be impressed. 😬 twitter.com/SquawkaNews/st…
Unfazed by the initial warning, Sessegnon proceeded to make another nasty challenge high up the pitch. It left the referee with no choice but to send him for an early bath.
Spurs, who were trailing 1-0 since the 11th minute, now found themselves a man down too with only half an hour gone.