TNT Sports pundit Peter Crouch has revealed how he and Glenn Hoddle were forced to abandon their car and complete the journey to the Tottenham Stadium on foot to arrive before kick-off.
The Europa League clash was delayed by 35 minutes after severe rail and road problems resulted in Spurs’ opponents Qarabag arriving at the ground only 15 minutes before the scheduled start time.
TNT cameras were on hand to show the away side finally arriving at their north London destination, when the former Spurs striker revealed his own difficulties getting to the ground.
‘Hopefully they ran down the High Road like me and Glenn!’ Presenter Lynsey Hipgrave said: ‘You had to abandon the car, didn’t you?’
‘Ah, we did. We gave up with the car.’ Crouch replied, before Hoddle added: ‘Peter ran and I limped.’
TNT Sports pundit and former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch revealed how the travel chaos affected his journey to the stadium
Ange Postecoglou’s side were forced to alter their pre-match preparations as their opponents struggled to arrive in time for kick-off
Tottenham welcomes the Azerbaijan outfit to north London in their Europa League opener
A suspended line on London Overground and the closure of A10 in both directions were the big factors in the chaos on Thursday night.
When Spurs and Qarabag were finally able to get underway, the match started in the worst possible fashion for the home side, who saw centre-back Radu Dragusin dismissed for a professional foul in the 10th minute.
But, despite their numerical disadvantage, Ange Postecoglou’s side took the lead just five minutes later with Brennan Johnson’s pinpoint finish from the angle.