Tottenham Hotspur ambled into the Champions League proper last night and looked as if they belong among the type of clubs who consider this tournament to be their natural habitat. Young Boys, by contrast, were entirely ill at ease and had Senad Lulic sent off after he brought down Gareth Bale. Peter Crouch duly obliged and notched his side's fourth goal from the penalty, completing his hat-trick.
The striker, all the same, was overshadowed - Bale contributed to each of the goals and, at 21, personifies a side that appears to have come of age. By now his left-footed deliveries are in the thoughts of all rivals, but no amount of planning nullifies the threat entirely. Oh, and it rained for the entire match.
