Spurs took the game to the Champions League winners from the start, with two shots on target in the opening three minutes. PSG dominated possession, but Tottenham held firm at the back and used high balls to create problems for the French team.

Tottenham took the lead when Micky van de Ven scored on 38 minutes, thanks to a high ball to Cristian Romero. The Argentinian won two aerial duels and directed his header into the danger area, where Rodrigo Bentancur's stabbed effort was blocked by PSG's goalkeeping debutant, Lucas Chevalier.

Despite PSG's ball control, they had only managed three shots to that point, two of which were off target and the other blocked. Vitinha was heavily involved in the Ligue 1 side's forward momentum, consistently finding space in between the lines and leading Pape Matar Sarr and Joao Palhinha on a merry dance at times.

Luis Enrique had clearly identified a weakness down Tottenham's left side, and Achraf Hakimi consistently raided, though with limited success. By the end of the game, both Vitinha and Hakimi had surpassed the century mark for passes, and were the only two players to do so from either side.

Within two minutes of the second half starting, PSG gave themselves a mountain to climb when another high ball into the box from Pedro Porro's free-kick found Romero all alone at the back post, and his powerful header made it 2-0 to the Lilywhites.

Substitutions changed the game late on, as PSG began to exert their authority. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was substituted on the hour, and three more subs over the next quarter hour would end up changing the course of the game. PSG's first goal came from a beautiful strike from outside the box from sub Lee Kang-in on 84 minutes.

With Porro and Djed Spence starting to lose the ball with alarming regularity, any hold that Spurs had on the game was getting looser as the minutes ticked by. As the crosses came thick and fast, it seemed inevitable that one late chance would find its target.

That's exactly what happened with two minutes of injury time left as Hakimi slipped the ball to Ousmane Dembele and his whipped cross found the head of another sub, Goncalo Ramos. Despite Spurs having a line of five defenders in the area, along with another four of their own players in the 12-yard box, none could react quickly enough.

Penalties were needed to settle the encounter, and it was the Premier League outfit who took the initiative after Vitinha's inexplicable miss. Unfortunately for Spurs, both van de Ven and Mathys Tel were unable to convert, leaving Nuno Mendes the opportunity to win it, which he took with aplomb.

Though it will disappoint the North London outfit that they were the 'nearly men' again, there were glimpses of what can be expected under Thomas Frank. They were always going to have to cede possession, but their ability to get PSG on the back foot by playing a far simpler game is certainly a blueprint that can be followed domestically.

Moreover, in the industrious Mo Kudus, they had a player who created the most chances for his team, played the most crosses, and also had the third-best pass completion rate in the team of 83.3%. History will show they were the losers on this occasion; however, they were more than a match for one of the best teams in the world, despite being under the cosh for long periods.