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Tottenham Hotspur successfully made it through to the knockout phase of the Champions League for the first time in three years after a last-ditch comeback against Marseille saw them come out on top of Group D in a frenetic finale.
The results of the group’s previous 10 matches meant that literally all four teams in Group D could still qualify for the round 16 or be eliminated from the competition at the start of Tuesday’s games. As the night progressed, three of the four clubs involved went top of the group over the course of 90 or so bewildering minutes.
To suggest that Group D was delicately poised heading into the final round of fixtures is something of an understatement, with just two points separating top and bottom. Spurs began the evening top, leading second-placed Sporting CP by a single point with the Portuguese side in turn leading third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on their head-to-head record alone.
Marseille began proceedings at the foot of the pile but knew that victory over Spurs, coupled with favourable results elsewhere, could still see them end up as group winners, ensuring they would avoid most of the strongest teams left in the competition in the draw for the round of 16. Conversely, a solitary point for Antonio Conte’s side would have seen them go through, no matter what happened in Lisbon.
Six goals were scored as the lead changed hands repeatedly and all four competing clubs found themselves in the top two with their hands on a Champions League knockout qualification berth at some stage.
Here’s a timeline of all the goals scored during the two games and exactly how they changed the complexion of the Group D table as it stood.
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39′: Arthur Gomes (SPORTING 1-0 Frankfurt)
Group D: Arthur Gomes puts Sporting CP top!#UCL pic.twitter.com/MDZdZCBbZ0
— UEFA Champions League…
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Source : espn
