Tottenham crash out of Europe on penalties

Ten-man Tottenham were knocked out of the Europa League quarter-finals on penalties in Switzerland after a 4-4 aggregate draw with FC Basel.

Both legs finished 2-2, with Tottenham forced to play extra-time with 10 men after Jan Vertonghen was dismissed late in normal time at Sankt Jakob-Park.

Basel, who beat Zenit St Petersburg on spot-kicks in the previous round, won the shoot-out by netting four clinical penalties, with Tom Huddlestone and Emmanuel Adebayor missing for the English side.

The result sees Basel reach the semis of a European competition for the first time, while top-four chasing Spurs have 10 days to lick their wounds before a Premier League match at home to Manchester City.

Spurs were without the injured Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe, but Clint Dempsey put them ahead midway through the first half, rounding keeper Yann Sommer after an error from Basel defender Aleksandar Dragovic.

The hosts soon levelled thanks to livewire Egypt winger Mohamed Salah’s smart low finish, which came after an error from Mousa Dembele.

Dragovic atoned for his mistake when he scrambled home from a corner early in the second half and the Swiss side looked set for the semis as Spurs toiled to break them down.

But Dempsey bagged a second with eight minutes remaining, poking home off the keeper after a poor offside trap, leading to 30 minutes of extra-time that Spurs had to see out with 10 men after Vertonghen was shown red for a professional foul on Marco Streller.

Basel went full-gun in extra time, with Mohamed El-Neny hitting the post and Marcelo Diaz going close as veteran forward Alexander Frei was thrown on, but Andre Villas-Boas’s side – who had a few half-chances through Adebayor and Kyle Walker – held on for penalties.

They need not have bothered though, with Huddlestone’s opener well saved by Sommer and a tired effort from Adebayor flying over the bar. Only Gylfi Sigurdsson was able to find the target for Spurs.

Basel, meanwhile, never looked like missing, Friedel left no chance by Fabian Schaer, Streller, Fabian Frei and Diaz, with the Chilean's spot-kick the winner.

They go into the semis alongside Chelsea, Benfica and Fenerbahce, with the Blues now favourites to add this trophy to the Champions League they won last season.

Spurs, meanwhile, can turn their attentions to an intriguing battle for the third and fourth Champions League qualification slots. If they are to impress in Europe next season, though, they must move away from what appears to be a fatal dependency on Bale.

Mohamed Salah (Basel) – A livewire with and without the ball, the raw 20-year-old will surely light up one of Europe’s top leagues soon. Took his goal well and at the front of everything until tiring in extra-time.

BASEL: Sommer 7, P.Degen 6, Schaer 6, Dragovic 6, Park 7, F.Frei 7, Salah 8, Serey Die 6, El-Neny 7, Stocker 7, Streller 7; Subs: Steinhoefer 6, Diaz 7, A.Frei 7.

SPURS: Friedel 6, Walker 7, Dawson 7, Vertonghen 5, Naughton 5, Parker 5, Dempsey 8, Dembele 5, Holtby 6, Sigurdsson 6, Adebayor 5; Subs: Assou-Ekotto 6, Carroll 7, Huddlestone 6.