The Spur's UEFA Cup 2007/8
Into final 16
Spurs go marching on
Feb 21, 08. Season 2007/8
Tottenham H. 1
Slavia Prague 1
by Rob Francis
US TV: Fox Soccer, Radio London

In a tense conclusion after Slavia Prague pulled back from a very early Spurs lead, the north Londoners are through to the final sixteen and a showdown with PSV.

Spurs took a tasty lead when Jamie O'Hara picked up a return pass just outside the Park Lane box and his far side shot deflected off a defender to find the space between the near post and the swivelling Slavia keeper.

Although Darren Bent twice hit the woodwork, and Tottenham enjoyed long spells of majority possession, the fact is the Lilywhites did not play particularly well and allowed the east Europeans many opportunities to pull back the needed aggregate goals: we were saved only by the post later in the second half.

Eventually they took one of those numerous chances in the 51st minute when a beautifully flighted ball from the left found Krajcik unmarked on the far post and grateful to steer into the net.

So the Lane was in far from celebratory mood as the second hald unfolded with the visitors looking the more likely to score. But under Ramos we have given up leads less predictably than his predecessor, and although this was not a performance to savour by any means, we survived.

A nice result to build up to our League Cup Final at Wembley and the UEFA atmosphere should ratchet up several notches as we face Dutch giants PSV in the next round.

However it must be said that at this level of performance Chelsea will have a field day this Sunday.

But, as against Arsenal and Manchester United recently, Spurs can rise to the occasion, although against the blue scum, that doesn't happen very often. We'll see.

Pre match: Spurs take a 1:2 lead from the first leg, played in sub-zero temperature, so confidence is running fairly high at the Lane but it will mean a slip-up cannot happen with the next round almost within our grasp.

Stop slating Cerny. He helped steady the ship, then makes one mistake, and the moaners crawl out of the woodwork.    Jaspa

To avoid such a slip-up, the gaffer now has to mull over how many of our essential players he will have to play for the second leg just days before they will have to face the World XI that is Chelscum in the Carling Cup final. Ouch. Tough decisions.

Yet Ramos and Poyet surely had anticipated this as a likely scenario against a side that can be tough to beat on their manor, conceding only two home goals in their league so far, but clearly a bit creaky after the winter break.

The early goal by Berbatov in the first leg could not have been a better start for north London, but the victory was dampened when our two goal margin was trimmed when Radic Cerny, a former hero of the home side, made a rare error.

Whilst it was nigh on impossible to find the first leg on television in most parts of the world, the replay is accessible to the great majority including those in the United States on Setanta Sports USA.

Needless to say your intrepid reporter will be at my local to soak up the atmosphere (from the ground, not much from the pub attendees themselves since it will be 2 or 3 of us at most. But we'll do what we can, amid a massively indifferent gaggle of City, United, and Blackburn Rovers fans, oh, and a Grimsby supporter.