Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was quite a night for the Lilywhites at Hotspur Way as the North Londoners came through with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund amid rising pressure on Thomas Frank’s place at the helm at Hotspur Way.
The Dane head coach barely had a roster to pick from going into the game. But the display from Tottenham Hotspur showed how tactically dominant this side can be under the former Brentford manager.
He slotted his debut CL goal but Solanke celebration was a bigger talking point
It was Cristian Romero who powered home a volley from a corner to open the scoring before Dominic Solanke slotted home to make it two in what was his Champions League debut goal.
And not only did he score a crucial winning goal for the Lilywhites, but he also made sure that it was remembered. After the goal, he unveiled a celebration that was an instant topic among the fans.
ESPN UK were quick to point out how his celebration was quite similar to Monkey D. Luffy, the iconic protagonist from the anime series One Piece.
The former Cherries striker covered his eyes, had his hands on his stomach and complemented that pose with a theatrical laugh. This was quite similar to Luffy’s trademark pose. And this celebration took no time to go viral across social media. It was this lighter talking point of the game that was very important for Tottenham and Frank.
For Solanke, that goal mattered far more than the celebration. This was his Champions League debut goal for Tottenham. And it came at a time when he, as well as the Lilywhites, needed it desperately.
Given that he was in the treatment room for the majority of the season before pushing to regain sharpness, that return to the scoresheet felt like a release (not just for him, but also for the entire stadium that craved some offensive dominance after watching a series of underwhelming games at N17).
Author Opinion
In a sense, the celebration reflects Solanke’s journey. Much like Luffy, he had to show this resilience and an unshakeable belief in the journey, paralleling how Solanke had to remain patient with injuries and how he has had to dodge questions about his abilities since moving to Tottenham.
After weeks of boos and frustration, this win gives some breathing room to Frank, who joked about how he would be having“two big glasses of red wine” in his reflection after the game. Well, let’s just say he deserves it for how Tottenham played yesterday.
What do you make of Solanke’s celebration? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
