(BBC SPORT) Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur put one foot in the Europa League quarter-finals with a clinical display against Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb.
Kane opened the scoring with a 25th-minute rebound before doubling Spurs’ advantage with a composed low finish in the 70th minute.
But the Tottenham skipper was unable to complete his hat-trick, limping off late on with a knock to his knee. Spurs face rivals Arsenal in the north London derby in their next fixture on Sunday, before their second leg in Croatia next Thursday.
Jose Mourinho made seven changes to the side that beat Crystal Palace on Sunday, but by keeping Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min as starters the Spurs boss signalled the club’s intent to fight on two fronts. Four wins from their last five have seen Spurs rise up the Premier League table with a top-four finish now a very possible route into the Champions League. But qualification by winning the Europa League still seems the likelier option as Spurs started brightly against the Croatian champions. The hosts took the lead when Erik Lamela skipped forward, striking the post with Kane on hand to tap in the rebound midway through the first half.
Spurs continued to push forward and felt they should have been awarded a penalty just after the restart when Tanguy Ndombele was brought down in the box by Lovro Majer. Kane eventually gave the Lilywhites a deserved two-goal lead, slotting home after Kevin Theophile-Catherine’s clearance fell straight to the England forward.
Zagreb keeper Dominik Livakovic made a fine save from a dipping Gareth Bale free-kick late on as Tottenham strolled to a win with Zagreb offering little going forward.
