There was no shame in this defeat for Tottenham, which represented progress after the north London derby disaster at Arsenal on Sunday. There were measures of encouragement ahead of the crucial Premier League home game against Fulham on Saturday, most notably in the shape of Randal Kolo Muani, the striker who is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Kolo Muani set up Richarlison for 1-0 and scored for 2-1 himself with a stinging volley. There would be another one for him before this wild tie was over. They were his first in Spurs’ colours.
And yet there was nevertheless frustration for Thomas Frank and his players, especially in how they allowed the initiative to slip. The star of the occasion was Vitinha, PSG’s peerless midfield controller. He finished with a hat-trick, producing a pair of equalisers with glorious long-range shots and setting the seal on the win towards the end from the penalty spot.
It added up to a fourth win out of five for the holders in this competition, setting them fair for direct progress into the last 16. There was drama until the end, the PSG substitute, Theo Hernández, being sent off for an elbow on another replacement, Xavi Simons. Spurs competed, as Frank had demanded. It was not enough to drive them to a famous result. For the first time this season, they tasted defeat in the Champions League.
