Thomas Frank heralded a “big win” for his Tottenham team after they edged out Villarreal 1-0 in their opening Champions League fixture.
The deadlock was broken inside just four minutes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when a goalkeeping blunder from Luiz Junior saw him inexplicably turn the ball into his own net, after trying to deal with a Lucas Bergvall cross.
Yet the early goal did not spark a flurry of goalmouth action. Indeed, there was just one shot on target from the two teams combined, taken by Pape Matar Sarr for Spurs in the 30th minute.
This is just the second Champions League game involving a Premier League or LaLiga team to have one or fewer shots on target, the first being Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Sparta Prague in November 2003.
The defeat ensured that Villarreal remain winless in all of their five opening Champions League matches, drawing three and losing twice.
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Discussing his first Champions League game as a head coach, Frank said: “I thought it was a big win. In any competition it’s good to get three points and get a good start. I’m happy with that.
“I’m happy with the clean sheet. I’m happy with the defensive side of the game.
“I think we were extremely good and limited Villarreal to very little throughout the game. They were a good team I really admire.”
Spurs mustered only 0.58 expected goals, managing just seven attempts.
However, Frank suggested Villarreal deserved credit for how they limited Spurs’ attack, as he urged fans to be patient with new signings such as Xavi Simons, who created just one chance during his 77 minutes on the pitch.
“Obviously, offensively, we struggled on the day to create something against a good team. They also defended very well, which we knew in the 4-4-2 structure,” Frank added.
“They were very aggressive. When we were on the day, I think, they needed the highest level in terms of touch, passed and decision-making, and they nailed that.
“We are building the offensive structure more and more. Xavi has just come into the club. It’s fair to say he and Djed [Spence] need a little relationship, of course, to get going.”