Spurs clung-on to beat Slavia Prague 1-1 (3-2 agg) to now face PSV in the last-16 of the Uefa Cup.
Nervy second-half at White Hart Lane
It was a game of two-halves as Spurs clung-on to beat Slavia Prague 3-2 on aggregate to now face PSV in the last-16.
Spurs, 2-1 up after the first-leg, coasted the first-half, their task made much easier following Jamie's O'Hara's seventh minute goal.
But Slavia came out a different team after the break and Matej Krajcik pulled one back on 50 minutes following a great ball by Daniel Pudil.
The Czech team then strongly pressed and it needed an excellent save by re-called Spurs keeper Paul robinson to stop extra-time.
Robinson was dropped last month and missed 10 games, losing his England place in the process, but was granted a return after Radek Cerny's blunder allowed Slavia Prague back in this tie a week ago.
It meant Robinson and Spurs only had a slender 2-1 lead to protect from Prague.
The north London side extended their advantage when Jamie O'Hara netted early on but Matej Krajcik's goal - which left Robinson with no chance - meant a nervous second half.
Spurs could not conserve energy for the Carling Cup final on Sunday against Chelsea, but at least the likes of Darren Bent were given a chance to impress.
Head coach Juande Ramos confirmed in his programme notes: "Nobody has secured their position in the side yet and so it is important that every single player puts in a maximum performance to demonstrate they are in the best condition to be considered for future fixtures."
Robinson impressed too, with a string of saves to keep his side ahead.
Ramos must decide whether to go with Robinson's big-match experience this weekend or leave him out if he feels the goalkeeper has been scarred by a year of inconsistency.
The 28-year-old was even named skipper for the first half before Robbie Keane was introduced. The omens are not necessarily good - Jermain Defoe was given the armband just before he left for Portsmouth recently.
Robinson was a bystander for the opening exchanges, with Spurs extending their aggregate lead in the seventh minute through O'Hara's first goal for the club.
Frantisek Drizdal failed to clear a cross convincingly, allowing Dimitar Berbatov to control on the edge of the area. O'Hara took over and his left-footed drive took a deflection off Martin Latka to wrong-foot Michal Vorel.
Robinson started Spurs' next attack with a long ball to Pascal Chimbonda. The full-back was fouled on the touchline and Vorel was required to push Tom Huddlestone's set-piece to safety.
Vorel also saved well when Huddlestone tried his luck from long distance midway through the half, and Aaron Lennon made a mess of the rebound when he had time to spare.
With Spurs looking for shooting practice ahead of their Wembley final, O'Hara flashed a volley wide when he met Teemu Tainio's hanging cross.
O'Hara was in the thick of the action and set up Bent with a cross just before the half-hour mark - but the striker's effort struck the crossbar after looping over Vorel.
Midfielder O'Hara also went just over with a dipping free-kick, while a foul on him by Krajcik earned a booking.
Robinson was finally called into action 10 minutes before the break and he was down well to parry Jaroslav Cerny's low, swerving shot.
Keane came on at half-time and almost scored with his first touch when he hooked a Lennon cross just wide.
But Slavia got back in the tie in the 50th minute when Krajcik stabbed in at the far post after Daniel Pudil curled a cross beyond the Spurs defence.
Keane had a strike ruled out but it was his team-mates who appeared to be offside.
Chimbonda was replaced by Steed Malbranque on the hour - and worryingly for Spurs headed down the tunnel for treatment.
There were more concerns when Drizdal was given a free header in the next move but his effort went straight at Robinson.
David Strihavka then brought a diving save from Robinson and also struck the post as the visitors sensed panic.
Robinson was needed to push Milan Ivana's free-kick around the post as Spurs held on, before Bent struck the crossbar again for the hosts in the closing stages.
| Tottenham Hotspur |
Team Statistics |
Slavia Prague |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
7 |
| 5 |
Shots off Target |
4 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 5 |
Corners |
5 |
| 12 |
Fouls |
19 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 74.4 |
Passing Success |
72.8 |
| 28 |
Tackles |
22 |
| 85.7 |
Tackles Success |
86.4 |
| 51.3 |
Possession |
48.7 |
| 45.7 |
Territorial Advantage |
54.3 |
|
