Staff Reporter.
Tottenham paid the price for leaving their star players at home as Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem earned a deserved win in the Europa Conference League.
Vitesse left-sided midfielder Maximilian Wittek crisply converted from the edge of the area, dealing a blow to the visitors’ hopes of progressing comfortably from Group G.
With key players including Harry Kane and Son Heung-min rested, Spurs fielded a different starting XI to the one who beat Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday and they lacked rhythm in a poor performance.
The Dutch side, who finished fourth in the Eredivisie last season, created the better opportunities and delighted a sell-out crowd when Wittek finally made their dominance count.
Spurs hit the bar through Bryan Gil moments after half-time but rarely threatened afterwards and finished the match having managed just one shot on target.
The defeat means Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are third at the halfway stage of Group G, having drawn with French side Rennes and thrashed Slovenian minnows Mura in their opening two games.
Only the group winner automatically goes through to the last 16 in Europe’s third-tier club competition.