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Champions League: Tottenham's Richarlison explains tearful reaction after win over Marseille

Antonio Conte heaped praise on Tottenham Hotspur’s two-goal hero Richarlison for a stellar show during his Champions League debut in a 2-0 victory over Marseille on Wednesday.

football Champions League Tottenham Hotspur Richarlison explains tearful reaction after win over Marseille snt
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First Published Sep 8, 2022, 2:40 PM IST

Champions League football returned to north London on Wednesday night as Tottenham Hotspur took on Marseille. It was over two years since the majestic stadium had witnessed Europe's premier tournament grace its grass, and supporters of Spurs will be delighted that their team registered a 2-0 win over the Ligue 1 giants.

Tottenham's two-goal hero Richarlison, signed by Antonio Conte this summer for 60 million pounds, broke the deadlock in the 76th minute when he headed home Ivan Perisic's cross from the left to open his account for the club.

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Five minutes later, Richarlison scored his second goal for Tottenham, giving the home team all three points in their Group D opener. The game had been challenging before Chancel Mbemba's dismissal in the 47th minute reduced Marseille to 10 men.

Following this stellar display, Richarlison was delighted to get off the mark, especially on his Champions League debut in front of his family. Last week the 25-year-old was denied his first goal for Tottenham by a marginal VAR decision against Fulham.

Explaining the reason behind bursting into tears following the game, Richarlison stated the presence of his family made it impossible for him to hold back his emotions.

football Champions League Tottenham Hotspur Richarlison explains tearful reaction after win over Marseille snt

Asked about his emotional post match tears, the Tottenham star said, "My father was here. He has been with me through all my career. He helped me a lot to make my dreams come true. To have him here today was very emotional for me today because he is part of all my success."

"After hearing the anthem, I started to smile there. It was my dream as a kid. Being there, listening to the anthem, playing the match, I got very emotional, and I was rewarded with scoring these two goals," Richarlison added.

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Meanwhile, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte heaped praises on his new recruit for displaying his instincts and aerial prowess in a hard-fought victory.

"First of all I am happy for Richy because he deserved to have a night like this," Conte said. "I remember very well when we signed him he said I can't wait to play and listen to the Champions League music. Not many words but important words for me."

football Champions League Tottenham Hotspur Richarlison explains tearful reaction after win over Marseille snt

"Today, this morning I remember him and said 'Richy I remember what you say, tonight you have this opportunity and chance. Enjoy this moment and try your best'. He did his best and helped us get three points in a difficult game because Marseille is a really good team," the Tottenham manager added.

"We signed Richy because we tried to sign a player that was able to play in all three positions. For this reason we hadn't had any doubts to sign him. We did this quickly because our idea and vision was very clear, especially for this reason. Richy is more of striker than Deki (Dejan Kulusevski) but at the same time he can play in Son's position, in Harry Kane's position and Deki's position. For us this is very important because for sure when you make rotation, you don't drop the quality," Conte concluded.

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