Monaco, October 23 (AP) — Thomas Frank has etched his name into Tottenham's history by becoming the first coach to remain unbeaten in his initial three Champions League fixtures. For this milestone, he can chiefly thank his goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario.
The Italian shot-stopper was instrumental in maintaining a scoreless draw against Monaco on Wednesday. Vicario thwarted Monaco repeatedly, particularly against US forward Folarin Balogun, a constant menace in the first half.
Former Arsenal forward Balogun came close to scoring in the 28th minute after a collaboration with Maghnes Akliouche, but Vicario thwarted his one-on-one attempt. Further denying Balogun eight minutes later, the keeper showcased his skills once again.
Monaco continued to pose significant threats in the second half. However, Vicario stood firm, expertly tipping Aleksandr Golovin's long-distance effort over the bar in the 68th minute and later producing a remarkable save to block a close-range header from Jordan Teze just six minutes later. "When you don't concede, it is always good," Vicario remarked, reflecting on the match.
"Making numerous saves is the best feeling you can have. It's a valuable point, although they probably deserved more. Luck was on our side in terms of the final result."
Late in the game, substitute Takumi Minamino missed the target three times, leaving Spurs content with the point, which brings their total to five from their opening three matches. "Monaco delivered an outstanding performance, and there were moments when we had to defend with everything we had," Frank stated.
"Vicario's exceptional saves kept us in contention, and for that, we are grateful."
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)