It was a night that belonged to one man, Guglielmo Vicario. The Tottenham goalkeeper turned into an immovable wall at the Stade Louis-II, pulling off a series of world-class saves to earn his side a hard-fought 0-0 draw against AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
Following that disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa, Softfootball understood thatTottenham were expected to try to make amends, but it was Monaco that were by far the better team on the night, bossing possession and peppering the Spurs goal with over 20 shots. But Vicario simply refused to be beaten.
The Italian pulled off four crucial saves, including a reflex stop from point-blank range to deny Jordan Teze and multiple one-on-one blocks from Folarin Balogun and Takumi Minamino.
The hosts came close several times in the first half, with Balogun’s best chance coming when he broke through on goal, only to see his effort smothered by Vicario’s quick feet. Minamino also had three golden chances late on but lacked the finishing touch. Tottenham, meanwhile, offered very little going forward their best look at goal came when Micky van de Ven’s towering header flashed just wide of the post.
After the break, it was more of the same story: Monaco attacking, Vicario saving. Maghnes Akliouche created space brilliantly inside the box, only for Vicario to get down low and push his shot away. Then substitute Aleksandr Golovin almost found the opener with a curling strike, but again, the Spurs keeper was equal to it.
Thomas Frank’s men were on the ropes for much of the second half, unable to gain any real control. In stoppage time, Teze thought he’d finally beaten Vicario with a powerful header, but the 28-year-old made one last breathtaking save right on the line.
After the match he shared his thoughts in a post-match reaction video posted via Tottenham’s official X handle.
Watch the video below:
When the whistle blew, Monaco could hardly believe it, it was a second straight draw in the competition following their 2-2 draw against Haaland’s Manchester City and tonight again, 20 shots, no goals, and two points dropped.
For Pocognoli, still waiting for his first win as Monaco boss after replacing Adi Hütter, it was another frustrating night. But for Spurs, who stay unbeaten in the Champions League with 5 points from three matches, it was a precious point earned thanks to their man between the sticks.
