Tottenham Hotspur secured a crucial 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League league phase encounter on Tuesday night, with a first-half red card proving decisive in turning the match in Spurs' favor. The result guarantees Tottenham at least a place in the playoff round as they continue their push for a top-eight finish.
The home side took the lead in the 14th minute when Cristian Romero rose highest to head home from Wilson Odobert's delivery, giving Spurs an early advantage. The Argentine defender's goal set the tone for what would become a dominant first-half performance from the North London club.
The match took a decisive turn in the 26th minute when Dortmund's Daniel Svensson received a second yellow card following a VAR review of his challenge on Odobert. The initial booking was upgraded to a dismissal after officials reviewed the incident, leaving the German side to play the remainder of the match with ten men.
Tottenham capitalized on their numerical advantage when Dominic Solanke scored his first Champions League goal in the 37th minute, again with Odobert providing the assist. The English striker's finish doubled the home side's lead and effectively killed the contest before half-time.
The statistics told the story of Spurs' dominance, with the hosts recording 11 shots to nil in the first half. Dortmund, reduced to ten men, struggled to gain any foothold in the match and managed just six shot attempts across the entire 90 minutes compared to Tottenham's 16.
The victory means Tottenham have now accumulated four wins and two draws from their seven league phase matches, putting them in a strong position with one game remaining. Spurs are guaranteed at minimum a place in the playoff round, with a potential spot in the top eight for direct Round of 16 qualification still within reach.
For Borussia Dortmund, the defeat compounds their struggles in this season's competition, with the red card fundamentally changing the dynamic of what had been an evenly contested opening quarter of an hour.