Rio Ferdinand pays Djed Spence the ultimate compliment despite Super Cup ‘devastation’
Tottenham Hotspur suffered Uefa Super Cup heartbreak on Wednesday, but there was plenty to be optimistic about.
Spurs found themselves in dreamland, with goals either side of half-time from centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero firing them into a 2-0 lead against the European champions.
The Lilywhites were superb for 84 minutes and even finished the game 13-12 up on shots, despite having just 26% of possession.
However, they did not walk away with the Super Cup trophy, as late goals from Kang-in Lee and Goncalo Ramos forced a penalty shootout, which PSG eventually won.
Djed Spence shuts down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
After the match, Spurs full-back Djed Spence posted to Instagram to express his ‘devastation’ at Tuesday’s result, sharing an image of himself walking past the trophy with a runner-up medal in his hand.
“Devastated to say the least,” Spence wrote. “We gave everything but sometimes football isn’t fair. Thank you to the travelling fans. Full focus on the season now.”
| Spurs stats | Djed Spence |
| Appearances | 42 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Trophies | 1 |
Spence, however, need not hang his head in shame.
The 25-year-old – who has been an unlikely hero for Spurs over the past 12 months – had the unenviable task of going head-to-head with PSG star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has been ruthlessly making fools of full-backs across world football during the past couple of years.
However, Spence performed superbly, not allowing himself to be dribbled past at all, while making three tackles, four recoveries and one block – alongside winning five of his eight duels (FotMob).
Rio Ferdinand hails stunning Spence performance
Spence’s performance caught the eye of former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, who paid the full-back the ultimate compliment for shutting down Kvaratskhelia.
“First full-back for a while I’ve seen be able to handle Kvaratskhelia,” wrote Ferdinand.
One fan replied: “Didn’t realise K was even playing until the second half.”
Kvaratskhelia was withdrawn on the hour mark, with PSG giving teenager Ibrahim Mbaye a run against Spence.
But the 17-year-old fared no better, failing to complete a dribble or create a chance. Mbaye was also left on the floor by a superb defensive recovery run from Spence, who managed to see the ball go out for a goal-kick as Spurs tried to see the game out.
TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist was in awe of Spence’s effort, labelling his defending a piece of ‘art’ for its timing and subtlety.
Spence will expect to retain his place in the starting line-up following this performance, with Spurs opening their Premier League season at home to Burnley on Saturday.