Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League group stage debut saw them draw 2-2 with Werder Bremen in Germany on Tuesday evening.
Spurs looked like they were taking to the competition like ducks to water when a Petri Pasanen own goal and a Peter Crouch header had them 2-0 up within 18 minutes, but Bremen are more experienced in this competition and Hugo Almeida and Marko Marin hit back with goals as the Group A clash ended all square.
Harry Redknapp’s men could not have made a better start at the Weserstadion, their first recorded goal in the competition proper taking just 12 minutes to register.
Midfielders Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas had fired a couple of speculative early efforts off target before Gareth Bale raced down the left to get onto Beniot Assou-Ekotto’s ball forward. The Wales international then sent in a teasing cross looking for Crouch, but it was former Portsmouth defender Pasanen who instead turned the ball past Tim Wiese and into his own net.
Crouch wheeled off cheekily claiming it but he had a goal of his own to take the credit for six minutes later. A wonderful volleyed pass from the recalled Jenas came to Spurs new boy Rafael van der Vaart on the left and he put the ball right on Crouch’s head, the England striker knocking it back across Wiese before it bulged the net.
Marin tried to get the hosts back into it but saw a shot blocked down by Huddlestone, but Spurs remained the side who looked more likely to score, with Bale looking ever-dangerous and drawing a flapping save from Wiese after robbing the ball from Bremen midfield man Clemens Fritz.
The home goalkeeper then had to deny Bale a second time with ten minutes left until the break, before an attacking substitution from Bremen boss Thomas Schaaf saw Aaron Hunt on for Philipp Bargfrede.
And his side were back in it two minutes before half-time as Brazilian midfielder Wesley sent in a fantastic cross and Almeida got between Ledley King and Assou-Ekotto to head home.
That goal meant that Bremen’s tails were up as they came out after the break and they needed just two minutes of the second half to draw level.
Carlo Cudicini had already had to tip over from Hunt in the second period when the Spurs defence backed off Marin, and the Germany international cut in from the left before firing a fine curled finish beyond the Italian goalkeeper from the edge of the area.
Robbie Keane replaced the injured Van der Vaart as Redknapp looked for his charges to regain their momentum, but that was all with the German side now and they almost had a third when Almeida was just off target as he got a touch on a dangerous ball into the area from Torsten Frings.
Marin then almost scored a repeat of his earlier goal as the Spurs defence continued to struggle to cope with him, but this time he hit the side-netting.
Marko Arnautovic and Sebastien Prodl both also shot wide for Schaaf’s side before Hunt cleared the crossbar, but there was still time for Spurs to go close as Bale raced past his man and sent a lethal ball across goal that just managed to deflect away off a defender before Crouch could get a touch.
There was still time for Younes Kaboul to hammer a Spurs kick into the Werder Bremen wall before the final whistle went leaving both sides to take a point.