Connections - Germany 10

The German series comes to an end, for now and in this Connections we look at our links with Borussia Dortmund over the last seventy years and discover some firsts and a managers landmark that might surprise you.
As well as some memorable nights.

We traveled to Dortmund in March 2016 for our Europa League round of 16 tie, and were beaten 0-3 which really settled the tie. Spurs tried hard in the return the following week but didn’t look like turning the tie around and we again lost 1-2, Son scoring our goal, (top picture). It was only the second time we have lost both legs in European competition.

We had met them ten years earlier in August 2006 in a friendly.  When we traveled to Germany to be met by a banner hung from the terraces ‘welcome to the greatest stadium in the world’ as 39,000 of their passionate fans turned up to see a 1-1 draw. Berbatov getting our goal to equalize after a solo run into the box.

Two days short of two years later we met again in the Feyenoord Jubilee tournament.  Darren Bent, Giovani dos Santos and Jamie O’Hara scored in a 3-0 win.
That match was Jurgen Klopp’s first in charge at the German club.
Left - Jenas in that 2008 game.

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The clubs first met during Tottenham’s tour of 1950. On that occasion it was the first time they had met English opposition, Spurs won that game 4-0, our goal scorers were Walters, Baily, Duquemin and Gilberg. Spurs ‘showed an interest’ in signing the German goalie, one Gunter Rau but the deal never happened. The following summer we met again as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations. This was the first time Dortmund had played outside Germany and the Spurs game was the second of three matches, (they had drawn at Derby in the first game). Tottenham won their game 2-1 Baily and Murphy scoring for Tottenham. 

From the 1951 programme - "The hospitality and kindness extended to all our party on our visit to Dortmund was such that in offering the heartiest of welcomes to our visitors we express the hope that their memories of their visit to Tottenham will be as pleasant as ours are of our visit to Dortmund."

Right - Dier  in the 2018 away game.

A sign of Tottenham’s progress in recent years two years after the 2016 meeting we met again earlier this season this time in the Champions League at the group stage. Spurs playing at Wembley opened the group beating them 3-0.

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Son opened the scoring in the fourth minute. They pulled level in the 11th minute before Kane restored the lead within four minutes. He got his second on the hour as we won 3-1. The only blot on the night was Vertonghen being sent off in injury time.

The return saw them go ahead on the half hour. Kane scored just after the break and Son got the winner which clinched the top place in the group with a group to go and it was Pochettino’s one hundredth win as Spurs manager.

COYS
Keith Harrison.
t- Keith 16024542
f - https://www.facebook.com/keith.harrison.9659
My profile / archive is @ http://www.indiaspurs.com/keith_harrison.html

Other Connections including the German series are @
http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/hotspur-towers-the-international-index