The north Londoners suffered their first defeat of the Europa League campaign at RAMS Park, but the scoreline flattered their awful defensive showing.
Ange Postecoglou’s side could have been blown out of the water, but they were handed a reprieve by wasteful finishing from the Turkish giants.
Yunus Akgun gave Gala the lead inside the opening ten minutes, but 19-year-old academy star Will Lankshear restored parity not long after.
Chelsea target and Napoli loanee Victor Osimhen then stunned Tottenham with an eight-minute brace in the first half before things turned sour.
Lankshear picked up two bookings in seven minutes and was sent off, further complicating Tottenham’s chances of mounting a comeback.
However, Postecoglou made a positive response to the setback, bringing on Dominic Solanke and Pape Matar Sarr, and it paid off as Solanke reduced the deficit.
Tottenham pushed for a late equaliser, which left them porous at the back, and they could have conceded more goals but were let off by wasteful finishing from the Turks.
Despite losing their unbeaten streak, Cole was impressed by their performance with ten men and charged the team to use it as an inspiration moving forward.
“It was wild from start to finish,” Cole said (via BBC Live). “[Radu] Dragusin had a night to forget. Osimhen was outstanding – he delivered.
“After Dominic Solanke’s goal, you have to give Tottenham massive credit.
“They kept going, and things have been labelled against his group of players, but I would take this from the game.”
Tottenham must pick themselves up and reset before this weekend’s Premier League meeting with Ipswich Town.
They will be keen to get back to winning ways against the relegation contenders and record back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since September.
Senegal
