Gareth Bale to Tottenham transfer can't come soon enough after nervy Europa League win

Posted Friday, September 18, 2020 by Express.co.uk

Tottenham survived a scare in their Europa League qualifying defeat of Bulgarian outfit Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

'Back soon' was the message written large across the screen. Indeed, the words streaming service Premier Sports chose to display whenever the signal went down from Plovdiv could not have been better chosen.

Instantly they conjured thoughts of the return on Friday of Gareth Bale - rescuing despondent Tottenham fans from the European horror show unfolding before their eyes and helping them dream of happier times ahead.

Because Spurs were inexcusably poor against European minnows who the Premier League finally overcame only after they had been reduced to nine men.

Certainly Jose Mourinho's laissez-faire post-match comments that there was “no panic” failed to recognise the size of the banana skin they avoided.

So perhaps the fact that all the key action was lost to UK viewers was a blessing rather than a disguise.

Gareth Bale to Tottenham transfer can't come soon enough after nervy Europa League win (Image: GETTY)

It meant Spurs fans were spared the embarrassment of watching Bulgaria's fifth best team taking the lead against the Champions League finalists of 15 months ago.

Another tepid display after the below-par performance against Everton remained in the balance until the 71st minute when disaster struck.

Spurs twice failed to clear a corner with poor headers before Dimitar Iliev's cross was forced in at the far post by Georgi Minchev, a Lokomotiv substitute who had only been on the pitch for three minutes.

Local fans congregating outside the behind-closed-door games let off fireworks in celebration but it was an implosion not an explosion that finally decided the tie.

Gareth Bale to Tottenham transfer can't come soon enough after nervy Europa League win (Image: GETTY)

A Ben Davies header was deliberately hand-balled on the line by Momchil Tsvetanov, automatically resulting in a red card as well as a penalty.

Then Birsent Karagaren's not-so-subtle attempts to rake up the penalty spot with his studs earned him a second yellow.

There is not a divot big enough to have prevented Harry Kane from putting the penalty into the top corner to level the scores.

Seven minutes later, Moura's low cross was bundled unconvincingly into the corner of the net via substitute Tanguy Ndombele's shin.

Viewers back in England finally rejoined the action for four minutes of injury time as Tottenham crept over the line to earn themselves a trip to Macedonian side Shkendija next Thursday.

But the distance they have to travel metaphorically to get back to where they are expected to be is much, much further even than that.

On this evidence, Bale cannot come back soon enough.