Antonio Conte’s men just about avoided a potential drop to the Europa League after coming back from a one-goal deficit at half-time of the game against Marseille to secure three points and book a spot in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
Igor Tudor’s Marseille side started off on a positive note as they pushed forward relentlessly in the first half. Marseille came close to scoring on a number of occasions in the first half, including a huge chance for centre-half Samuel Gigot, who put his effort over the bar. Nevertheless, Les Olympiens drew first blood in stoppage time in the first half, off a corner routine which ultimately resulted in Chancel Mbemba scoring a headed goal to put his side in front.
Going into the tunnel, Marseille would have felt at the precipice of a famous victory but were subsequently denied in the second half, as on-loan Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet scored off a set-piece as well to help his team draw level.
The game went back and forth with each side looking to nudge forward, but it was ultimately Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who concluded a fast Spurs break with a right-footed shot into the Marseille goal in the last moments of the game to allow his side a table-top finish, and more importantly avoid facing teams on top of their group table, such as the likes of Bayern Munchen, PSG and Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, AFC Ajax drubbed Rangers in a 3-1 hammering. The Dutch side, under new manager Alfred Schreuder, were not able to make it out of their group but made an example out of the Rangers to their potential Europa League opponents.
Steven Berghuis put the Dutch side in front in the opening three minutes, followed by Mohammed Kudus, who doubled their lead. Veteran Dusan Tadic had another excellent game as Ajax ultimately won 3-1.
Elsewhere, Sporting Lisbon lost out on a spot in the knockouts of the tournament, as Eintracht Frankfurt came back from behind to win 2-1 and book themselves into the Round of 16.
Lastly, in what was a dead rubber between eliminated sides Viktoria Plzen and FC Barcelona, the Catalans gave the world a brief glimpse of their capabilities with a glittering attacking display but were also partly disappointed by their backline, which conceded a number of chances.
Two of them were converted by Tomas Chory. Ferran Torres and Raphinha were on target for the Bluagrana who ended their disappointing Champions League campaign on a positive, with a 4-2 victory.
