MONACO (AP) – Thomas Frank has become the first Tottenham manager to go unbeaten in his first three Champions League games.
He can thank goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
The Italian international played a key role in preserving a 0-0 draw against Monaco on Wednesday.
Monaco’s USA national team forward Folarin Balogun They posed the biggest threat in the first half. Former Arsenal forward Balogun combined with Magnes Akurios in the 28th minute but was denied one-on-one by Vicario.
Eight minutes later, Balogun’s shot on goal was blocked by the keeper.
The hosts continued to be a dangerous team in the second half.
Vicario was ready. In the 68th minute, he put substitute Alexander Golovin’s long-range shot behind him, and six minutes later he made another superb save to deny Jourdan Thezet’s header from close range.
“It’s always good if you don’t make concessions,” Vicario said. “It feels great when you make a lot of saves. That’s a big point, but they probably deserved more. In terms of results, we were a little bit lucky.”
Spurs could pick up a point after substitute Takumi Minamino missed the target three times in the second half, taking their total from their first three games to five.
“Monaco performed very well, and at times we had to defend with all our might,” said Frank. The team had just one shot. “Vicario was exceptional and really got us into the game.”
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