Monaco 0-0 Tottenham: Vicario the star as Frank's men gut out draw

  /  autty

Guglielmo Vicario put on a goalkeeping clinic as Tottenham gutted out a goalless draw with Monaco at Stade Louis II in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Italian made eight saves in total as the hosts peppered the visitors' goal in what was only head coach Sebastien Pocognoli's second game in charge.

But it was a frustrating evening for the likes of Folarin Balogun and Takumi Minamino, who were unable to find that clinical edge as Spurs earned a point they scarcely deserved.

Vicario denied Balogun at his near post in the 10th minute and had to claw one off the line from Maghnes Akliouche's lobbed cross soon after. 

Balogun and Akliouche then combined to put the former through one on one, only to be denied by another fine stop from Vicario, and he was again brilliantly thwarted again by Spurs' keeper with a shot inside the area soon after.

It was a similar patter after the break with Vicario denying Aleksandr Golovin's bending effort and Thilo Kehrer glancing a header wide from the resulting corner.

Vicario pulled off a stunning point-blank save from Jordan Teze's six-yard header before Minamino missed two glorious chances, the latter of which he blasted over when it fell kindly for him in the penalty area.

Data Debrief: Vicario saves the day

Vicario was a busy man indeed, with Spurs facing 23 shots in total during the game.

That represented the most they have conceded on their goal in the Champions League since December 2019 when Bayern Munich had 24.

It was a tough outing for Thomas Frank's side, but he is now the first Tottenham manager to avoid defeat in his first Champions League games in charge of the club.

Monaco, meanwhile, have only lost one of their nine home games against English clubs in the Champions League but have won just three of their past 14 in the competition at Stade Louis II.

Related: Tottenham Hotspur Monaco Vicario Balogun
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