TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR WERE denied all three points, despite dominating most of this Europa League tie against Panathinaikos who struck late to secure a 1-1 draw.
Andre Villas Boas went to Greece intent on building upon his side’s landmark victory against Manchester United on Saturday.
The Portuguese boss selected a strong side which included Gareth Bale, Moussa Dembele, Jermaine Defoe and Clint Dempsey.
Spurs had an early penalty appeal for handball against Andre Pinto waved away. Michael Dawson, named captain for the night, opened the scoring for the visitors after 34 minutes.
After Jan Vertonghen was fouled just outside the left side of the area, Tom Huddlestone delivered the cross into the box for Dawson to power home the header.
Despite the warm conditions, Spurs limited the hosts’ chances early on and created their own through powerful strikes from Aaron Lennon, Bale and Defoe.
There was no such abundance for the home side, who reside near the foot of their domestic table. However, they made the maximum possible impact from their only real opening of the game.
Grateful
As the game wore on, Spurs’ energy began to wane. 13 minutes from time, Giourkas Seitaridis took up possession of the right wing and slid a perfectly weighted pass through Spurs’ centre-back pairing of Dawson and Steven Caulker. Before Hugo Lloris could dive on the ball, Spanish striker Jose Toche threw himself at the chance and slid the ball beyond the French ‘keeper.
The goal was a rallying cry to the home side, and Villas Boas’ men were left to hang on, blocking a series of shots, in the final 10 minutes before gratefully accepting the final whistle and a point.
