• Henry opens scoring before being replaced at half-time
• Tottenham win 2-1 with goals from Keane and Bale
Thierry Henry marked his New York Red Bulls debut with a goal against familiar opponents, as the team lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur last night.
It was almost like old times for the former Arsenal forward as he beat Tottenham’s defenders to a seemingly harmless cross, before nonchalantly flicking it into the back of the net. It was not a goal that will feature on his personal highlights reel but its significance was not lost on him or the 20,000 fans in attendance.
Henry swapped Barcelona for the Big Apple last week but has arrived in the US facing the same contrasting pressures as previous leading players making the switch from Europe to the States. His supporters and paymasters expect him to help convert more Americans to the sport while his detractors accuse him of turning his back on Europe and taking an early pension fund from the MLS, a notion Henry has disputed.
“The goals are going to come,” said Henry after the match. “The reception was tremendous and every time I touched the ball they cheered. It was important for me to feel at home.”
After spending his first week on a whirlwind tour around New York’s major television networks and being feted like a pop star, Henry joined the masses and caught a public train to his match. As luck would have it, his first opponents were familiar foes from his days in north London.
His first few touches showed that while he had perhaps lost a yard of pace, he still possessed all his predatory instincts and it was no real surprise when he broke the deadlock after 25 minutes. That was his last significant contribution to the game; as soon as the half-time whistle was blown, he handed his No14 shirt to the Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric and did not return for the second half.
“He’s going to make a massive, massive impact for us,” said the New York coach Hans Backe. “But he’s only one player and he needs his team-mates to feed him the killer passes.”
With Henry gone, Tottenham took control of the second half, Robbie Keane equalising from short-range in the 62nd minute before Gareth Bale netted the winner ten minutes later following a mix-up in the New York defence.
“The young bloke from that first half, Henry, looks like he’s got a good future,” quipped the Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp. “He was fantastic. He’s a different class. He’s still a world class player. We were fortunate to win the game. We did okay. We’re just back in training.”
Thierry HenryNew York Red BullsTottenham Hotspurguardian.co.uk
