Thomas Frank's first Spurs game ended in defeat, as they fell short against Paris Saint-Germain in the European Super Cup after a penalty shootout.
There was so much to be positive from a Spurs perspective, but it mirrored the chaos that the Dane's Brentford side were known for. Spurs fans are in for entertainment, quality and goals.
The north London club looked comfortable from minute one. They disrupted PSG's notoriously fast-paced, high tempo and fluid attacking, with the likes of Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola all starting.
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But despite PSG's all-star line-up, it was the Spurs players who looked like European champions for significant parts of the game.
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|Spurs found themselves 2-0 up with five minutes to go after a terrific performance
Djed Spence and Mohammad Kudus were exceptional outballs and ran enormous distances. In the second half, the latter's defensive contributions were vital, as PSG continued to try and exploit their threats through wide positions.
Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancour and Joao Palhinha were aggressive and dominant in the centre of the park, with Richarlison winding back the clock to his Everton days, holding the ball up with authority and finding his teammates with accurate passes to retain possession.
But it was the defenders, van de Ven and Romero, who found their goalscoring touch to take the put Frank's side two goals to the good.
Christian Romero doubled the lead for Spurs on the day he was announced club captain
Van de Ven reacted first to smash a loose ball in the box past Lucas Chevalier after Palhinha forced a terrific save from the PSG goalkeeper. The French shotstopper joined on an initial £35million from Ligue 1 rivals Lille after Gianluigi Donnarumma rebuffed a contract, with today marking his competitive debut.
While he made a terrific save in the first half, the new signing had a moment to forget for the second. Romero peeled off at the back post on a free kick and directed a low header towards the bottom corner. The angle wasn't favourable, nor was it powerful, but it slipped through the fingertips of Chevalier to send Spurs two goals to the good.
Tottenham lasted 40 minutes keeping the score at 2-0, until substitute Lee Kang-in smashed the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards out, dragging the Parisians back into the game.
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The last minutes were uncomfortable for Frank's side, and it was out wide where PSG finally got some joy. Dembele fired in a whipped delivery to which Goncalo Ramos got on the end of with a glancing header into the far corner.
The game was taken straight to penalties. Spurs were devastated because they had put everything in, but PSG turned the screw in the second half and the north London side could not handle the pressure.
It was PSG's Vitinha, whose performances have placed him on the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or this year, that faltered first, seeing his penalty inexplicably going wide after sending Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario the wrong way.
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|PSG lifted their fifth trophy in an extraordinary 12 months
After finding the net during the game, van de Ven failed to convert from the spot to level the scores, followed by Matthijs Tel who put his spot kick wayward even with Chevalier scrambling in the wrong direction. An eerie similarity to Vitinha's.
Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes, who has earned so much praise throughout PSG's rise, slashed in the winner to the top corner and jubilant scenes ensued in the French half of the stadium.
While Spurs were unable to get over the line in the end, fans can see the clear direction the club is going in. Players looked improved and the system worked well for 70 minutes.
Meanwhile, the victory marked an astonishing achievement for Luis Enrique's side: their fifth trophy in a remarkable 12 months that has seen them dominate club football. Only Chelsea in the Club World Cup could prevent them from lifting a trophy they competed in this year.
The French side remain unstoppable, supreme and have the potential to dominate European football once again. They were far from their best on the night, but, in the end, their quality and desire showed true and got them over the line.