UEFA CUP: Tottenham 1 Slavia Prague 1
Paul Robinson was back in goal as Tottenham reached the last 16 of the UEFA Cup with a 1-1 draw on the night against Slavia Prague - putting himself in the frame for Wembley this weekend.
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.
Robbo hopeful for Cup final
Paul Robinson is targeting a place in goal at Wembley after earning a recall for Tottenham UEFA Cup victory over Slavia Prague.
It put him in the frame for the Carling Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday.
'I'd like to think so,' he said on ITV4. 'I hope so.'
Robinson saved in the first half from Jaroslav Cerny's swerving shot, then in the second half he was tested by David Strihavka and Milan Ivana as Spurs nervously closed out victory.
'I've just got to answer to myself,' he added. 'I know how I've been playing, or not playing as the case has been.
'I just wanted to get back in the team and back on track.
'I'm delighted to be back in the team, in a team that's playing well.'
Ramos was full of praise for his goalkeeper.
'He did a great job, he did everything he had to do,' said the Spaniard. 'We want him to produce the best performance possible and give the best of himself. He was out for a while but his performance was magnificent.'
The Spurs head coach also could not guarantee a Wembley place for Robinson.
'We have three days to recover,' he added. 'We can have a close look at the line-ups, how they recover. There is a lot of things to consider before deciding on the final team line-up.
'It's important that all the players are fit enough and in the right condition.'
'We were disappointed in the second half. We sat back and should have got two or three - but we are glad to have gone through,' O'Hara said.
Pascal Chimbonda was substituted after picking up what appeared to be a knee injury but he should be fit to face Chelsea.
'It doesn't seem like a particularly serious injury and he should recover in the three days before the final,' Ramos said. 'But the most important time is the first 24 hours and we will check on him and see how he is.'
Slavia boss Karel Jarolim felt conceding an early goal immediately put his side on the back foot.
'We didn't start well. When they took the lead nobody was doubting that they would go through,' Jarolim said. 'After the equaliser we put them under pressure and created promising chances.
'We saw an aggressive, compact team and the only thing that was missing was a goal to send it into 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.
Robbo hopeful for Cup final
Paul Robinson is targeting a place in goal at Wembley after earning a recall for Tottenham UEFA Cup victory over Slavia Prague.
It put him in the frame for the Carling Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday.
'I'd like to think so,' he said on ITV4. 'I hope so.'
Robinson saved in the first half from Jaroslav Cerny's swerving shot, then in the second half he was tested by David Strihavka and Milan Ivana as Spurs nervously closed out victory.
'I've just got to answer to myself,' he added. 'I know how I've been playing, or not playing as the case has been.
'I just wanted to get back in the team and back on track.
'I'm delighted to be back in the team, in a team that's playing well.'
Ramos was full of praise for his goalkeeper.
'He did a great job, he did everything he had to do,' said the Spaniard. 'We want him to produce the best performance possible and give the best of himself. He was out for a while but his performance was magnificent.'
The Spurs head coach also could not guarantee a Wembley place for Robinson.
'We have three days to recover,' he added. 'We can have a close look at the line-ups, how they recover. There is a lot of things to consider before deciding on the final team line-up.
'It's important that all the players are fit enough and in the right condition.'
'We were disappointed in the second half. We sat back and should have got two or three - but we are glad to have gone through,' O'Hara said.
Pascal Chimbonda was substituted after picking up what appeared to be a knee injury but he should be fit to face Chelsea.
'It doesn't seem like a particularly serious injury and he should recover in the three days before the final,' Ramos said. 'But the most important time is the first 24 hours and we will check on him and see how he is.'
Slavia boss Karel Jarolim felt conceding an early goal immediately put his side on the back foot.
'We didn't start well. When they took the lead nobody was doubting that they would go through,' Jarolim said. 'After the equaliser we put them under pressure and created promising chances.
'We saw an aggressive, compact team and the only thing that was missing was a goal to send it into extra-time.'
posted by dgarden at 10:32 am
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