Here are the Tottenham Hotspur evening headlines for Friday 26th February 2021.
Europa League draw
Tottenham have been drawn to play Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League Round of 16.
After coming out on top in Group J, the Lilywhites cruised through to the final 16 of the competition after beating Wolfsberger AC 8-1 on aggregate in the Round of 32.
Winning away 4-1 last Thursday, Jose Mourinho's men then triumphed 4-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday as wonder goals from Dele Alli and Gareth Bale, as well a Carlos Vinicius double, sealed a convincing win.
Following their success over their Austrian opponents, Tottenham will now take on Dinamo Zagreb as they eye up a place in the quarter-finals.
The Croatian side qualified for the Round of 16 following victory over FK Krasnodar.
It won't be long at all before the games actually take place as they are pencilled in to be played on the 11th and 18th of March.
'Crazy' Nile John moment
Tottenham's 4-0 Europa League win over Wolfsberger AC will live long in the memory for a number of the club's talented youngsters.
Mourinho once again named a handful of the club's academy players in the matchday squad as Dane Scarlett, Marcel Lavinier, Nile John and Dilan Markanday took their place in the matchday 23.
John, who has been with the club since the age of seven, was also introduced at the same time as Scarlett, with full-back Lavinier replacing Matt Doherty seven minutes earlier.
Speaking to the club's official website, John revealed the exact moment he found out he would be with the first team.
"I was in education at home on Monday morning and I got a call from Dean (Rastrick, Academy Manager) at about 10.30 saying that I was with the first team," he explained.
"I assumed I was going to be training with the first team, then when Tuesday came I found out I was involved in the squad, I was getting my suit fitted and things like that, so it was a crazy experience!
"It was surreal being out there on the pitch, something that I’d dreamed about, making an appearance for the first team. I was very nervous when the time came but I felt like I kept my cool, tried to do my best for the team and I was really happy to make my debut."
Benfica regret Carlos Vinicius agreement
Benfica are reportedly beginning to regret allowing Carlos Vinicius to join Spurs on loan this season.
Portuguese news outlet Record - via Sport Witness - have highlighted just how much the Brazilian has been missed by Benfica this season as his nine goals in 17 appearances for Tottenham show he's been having a better season than the likes of Darwin Nunez and Haris Seferovic.
And following his side's Europa League exit at the hands of Arsenal, Jorge Jesus claimed he doesn't have a prolific striker to call upon.
Interestingly, Vinicius scored twice for the Lilywhites on Wednesday evening and could join the club permanently in the summer if the €45m (£39m) option to buy is triggered.
However, there's concern amongst Benfica officials as to whether Spurs will take up that option.
If Vinicius ends up returning to Portugal at the end of the season then Benfica will not only regret being without the Brazilian for a year, but they won't make a profit from his sale.
