Tottenham Hotspurs defeated Spanish side Villareal by a lone own goal to kickstart their 2025/2026 Champions League campaign on a positive note.
Villarreal’s Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Junior pushed the ball into his own goal in the fourth minute.
The Thomas Frank team survived scares in the second half, chief among them was a foul by Micky van de Ven on Georges Mikautadze in the closing minutes, felling Villarreal’s Georgia forward just outside the penalty area.
Van de Ven, his team’s best player on the night, might have been sent off by another referee, but he survived with a yellow card against the Yellow Submarine, who issued a reminder to their hosts of the step up in quality.
Frank could not have hoped for a better start to the Champions League, as Tottenham jumped ahead early on.
Lucas Bergvall fizzed in a low cross from the Spurs’ right, and Junior somehow managed to knock it into his own goal.
Richarlison was slipping in, but it would be misleading to pretend there was any genuine pressure on the Brazilian goalkeeper, who dove out at the near post, slammed two hands down on top of the ball, and watched in horror as it squirted from his grip and spun over the goal line.
Frank appeared almost too ashamed to rejoice, instinctively punching two fists into the air before softly sliding them to the back of his head to smooth his hair.
Xavi Simons marked his home debut for Tottenham with a bright start, whistling the first shot of the game over from 25 yards.
Villarreal, presently fifth in Spain’s LaLiga, the same place they finished last season, settled confidently despite the early setback.
Nicolas Pepe, who had been booed early on due to his Arsenal background, shone throughout the game. He came close to scoring an immediate equalizer with a low curling shot deflected wide by Van de Ven.
Tajon Buchanan wasted a chance created by Pepe following a rare mistake at the back by Cristian Romero as the visitors counterattacked.
Spurs did not appear as safe in defense as they had in the Premier League without Palhinha, but they posed a threat moving forward, with Djed Spence and Simons developing a strong relationship on the left and Bergvall shining.
Spurs’ defense did not appear as secure as it had in the Premier League without Palhinha, but they created a threat going forward, with Djed Spence and Simons forming a nice partnership on the left and Bergvall dazzling.
The first was a heel tap that brought Richarlison down, while the second came when Bergvall flicked the ball up against a hand. Rade Obrenovic, a Slovenian referee, and his VAR team remained unimpressed.
Villarreal improved again in the second half, forcing Frank’s squad to make a series of blunders as they played out of the back, inviting pressure. Juan Foyth, a four-year Spurs player, flicked a header wide, and Pepe fizzed another effort inches wide.
Simons was fortunate to avoid a second yellow card. His trip on Pepe halted a promising counterattack, infuriating the Villarreal bench. Marcelino was scheduled, and Frank took the cue and replaced Simons.
He brought in Randal Kolo Muani late in the game. With a bit of luck and Van de Ven’s wipe-out challenge on Mikautadze, Tottenham kept their clean sheet and got off to a winning start.
