Tottenham Hotspur had a commanding 2-0 lead over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup before the French side clawed back two goals in the dying embers – and two Spurs stars have been singled out as the reason for their last-gasp defeat.
Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero scored unexpectedly each side of halftime, giving Spurs the opportunity to add to their title cupboard. However, PSG surged into the game and scored twice late on.
It took two replacements, Kang-In Lee and Goncalo Ramos, for the reigning Champions League champions to get traction in the final, forcing the match to penalties. Van de Ven and Mathys Tel both missed penalty kicks before Nuno Mendes put his effort past Guglielmo Vicario to end the game.
Two Tottenham players blamed for UEFA Super Cup loss to PSG
Spurs, who earned the opportunity to play in Udine, Italy, by defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final earlier this year, dominated the game for long stretches. In reality, Luis Enrique’s team had zero shots in the first half, which was unusually low for Les Parisiens.
But it was largely down to Spurs’ defensive framework, which PSG struggled to break down. Fast on the break, too, as Mohammed Kudus got plenty of fun when racing across the PSG backline, Frank’s overall strategy was working.
As the game approached the 90-minute mark, the English team began to weary, prompting Frank to turn to his bench: Kudus and Pape Matar Sarr were replaced by Mathys Tel and Archie Gray to preserve their two-goal lead.
However, both players attempted to deceive, and the north London faithful have flocked to X (previously Twitter) to lament their separate introductions. “I’m sorry, but Gray and Tel shouldn’t have touched the pitch,” one fan stated, while another commented, “Spurs’ substitutions were shocking.” “Tel and Gray added nothing.”
“Ultimately, Frank removed our best players for Gray and Tel, and they were complete disasters. Both were chasing shadows, and Tel was absolutely out of his depth. Both had ugly cameos.
Gray, 19, signed from Leeds United in the summer of 2024, but one fan claims neither he nor Tel are at the appropriate level. In shock, they wrote: “I never want to see Archie Gray play for Spurs again.” “Tel is also c***.”
One attributed the loss to Frank’s decision to make the two changes. “We lost that game when we took off Kudus and Sarr, Tel and Gray not at the required level.” Another concurred, stating that £80 million was squandered on the two stars: “Tel is absolute dross and so is Gray… 80m+ wasted on garbage.”
“I shall not be frightened to voice my mind this season. Tel and Gray are not good enough and have much to prove. “I wish Spurs had not brought them on,” added another supporter, while a third fan concluded that the club should cut their losses with the pair: “Tel and Gray can be sold tomorrow.”
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