Spurs spared Euro blushes

TOTTENHAM survived a humiliating first half-hour of Champions League football last night as Sebastien Bassong and Roman Pavyluchenko turned their play-off round tie against Young Boys on its head.

Spurs suffered a nightmare start to their first European Cup tie for almost half a century, their unfancied Swiss hosts tearing their hapless defence to shreds in the opening 28 minutes at the Stade de Suisse.

But with their hopes of reaching the lucrative group stage hanging by a thread, Bassong and Pavyluchenko scored two priceless away goals ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg at White Hart Lane.

“The first half hour wasn’t good enough, simple as that,” said Spurs captain Michael Dawson.

“But we got in at half-time, sorted things out and stuck together. We’ve got to be happy with that after the first-half performance. It’s hard when you go a goal down early on and it took us longer than we liked to react.

“But 3-2, back to White Hart Lane, we’re still in the competition, we’re in with a good chance.”

The build-up to kick-off saw the home fans unfurl a banner with cartoons of some of the world’s greatest players attending school.

And Spurs were taught a painful lesson as goals from Senad Lulic, Henri Bienvenu and Xavier Hochstrasser had them 3-0 down. But Bassong scored just before half-time and Pavyluchenko struck late on to spare the visitors’ blushes somewhat.

Every one of Harry Redknapp’s four changes from Saturday’s Premier League opener against Manchester City backfired in the first half, with Pavyluchenko, Giovani dos Santos, Wilson Palacios and Bassong all well off the pace.

The visitors had been heavy favourites to progress over two legs, though Young Boys’ shock win at Fenerbahce in the last round meant they were not to be underestimated.

And they immediately proved as much during a frantic opening in which Tottenham were all at sea.

Lulic struck the post in the second minute, Benoit Assou-Ekotto was booked in the fourth, and Young Boys were ahead seconds later.

Thierry Doubai’s long-range shot hit the back of Ammar Jemal and fell kindly for Lulic to sidefoot home.

Spurs’ shocking defending continued and they were 2-0 down in the 13th minute when stand-in captain Michael Dawson slipped near the halfway line, allowing Bienvenu a clear run on goal and which ended with a neat finish.

Defoe somehow failed to connect with a wonderful Pavyluchenko cross, before Spurs conceded a third in the 28th minute.

The visitors were undone by a simple sliderule pass from Moreno Costanzo and Hochstrasser made no mistake to blast the ball over the onrushing Gomes.

Tottenham desperately needed to score and Bassong came up trumps three minutes from half-time, his towering header from Gareth Bale’s corner beating boyhood Spurs fan Scott Sutter on the line.

Redknapp threw on Niko Kranjcar for Luka Modric during the break and then Robbie Keane replaced Defoe in the 66th minute.

Pavyluchenko and Bassong both went close with headers before Gomes went AWOL, allowing Bienvenu to set up Schneuwly for a close-range volley he blazed over.

It proved costly for the hosts as Pavyluchenko finally came good seven minutes from time to get Tottenham well and truly back into the tie.

YOUNG BOYS: Wolfli, Sutter, Spycher, Affolter, Jemal, Lulic, Tape Doubai, Degen (Raimondi 90), Hochstrasser, Costanzo (Christian Schneuwly 65), Bienvenu.

TOTTENHAM: Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto (Huddlestone 36), Giovani, Palacios, Modric (Kranjcar 46), Bale, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe (Keane 66).

Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium).