Tottenham fail to cheer absent Redknapp

English Premier League high-fliers Tottenham failed to offer some cheer to absent manager Harry Redknapp as they suffered their first Europa League defeat of the season, losing 1-0 to Rubin Kazan in Group A.

The 64-year-old Redknapp did not undertake the 6,500km round trip following heart surgery earlier in the week, and the London side were always second best on the night, eventually going down to a 55th-minute Bebras Natcho free-kick.

That result, coupled with PAOK Salonika winning 3-1 against Shamrock Rovers in Ireland, leaves the group wide open with two matches remaining.

Greek side PAOK lead the way with eight points from their four games, with Rubin Kazan and Tottenham both on seven points and Shamrock Rovers bottom without as point and now unable to qualify. Tottenham host PAOK in the next round with Rubin Kazan at home to Shamrock Rovers.

Meanwhile, in Group B, Standard Liege and Hannover both won away from home and look poised to be the two teams who qualify for the last 32.

Belgian side Standard won 3-1 at Ukrainians Vorskla Poltava, while Hannover of Germany came away from Copenhagen with a 2-1 win. That means both sides are still unbeaten on eight points after four games, with Copenhagen on four and Vorskla now unable to qualify on a single point.

Standard entertain Hannover in the next round with the winners of that match securing qualification.

Group C leaders PSV Eindhoven were involved in a see-saw encounter with Israeli’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, and needed a Kevin Strootman goal three minutes from time to earn a 3-3 home draw.

But, despite failing to win for the first time in this year’s competition, the draw was enough to seal the Dutch side’s passage into the next round.

PSV lie on 10 points, one point ahead of Legia Warsaw, who beat Rapid Bucharest 3-1. Polish side Legia need just one more point from their final two games to also qualify, while Hapoel cannot now qualify with just one point from their matches so far.

Group D remains up for grabs, with all four teams still able to qualify. Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon dropped their first points, losing 1-0 at FC Vaslui of Romania.

Despite the setback, they remain top on nine points, with Vaslui and Lazio – 1-0 winners over Zurich – on five points. Even the Swiss side can qualify, despite only having two points from their first four matches.

Premier League side Stoke are also on the verge of qualification from Group E after goals from Dean Whitehead and Peter Crouch gave them a 2-1 win at Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Stoke are on 10 points, and one more win will ensure they go through. Besiktas of Turkey beat Dynamo Kiev 1-0 in the other match, meaning Besiktas are now a point ahead of the Ukrainian side in the battle for the other place.

Spanish side Athletic Bilbao are also on the verge of reaching the last 32 after a 1-0 win at Salzburg in Group F. The Spanish side are on 10 points, three ahead of big-spending Paris St Germain, for whom Javier Pastore scored the only goal in a narrow victory over Slovan Bratislava.

Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv also have one foot in the last 32 after beating Malmo of Sweden 3-1. That result means they lead Group G with 10 points, four ahead of AZ Alkmaar, who drew 2-2 at Austria Vienna.

Those two sides appear to be battling for second place, with Malmo eliminated after a fourth successive defeat.

Group H is the tightest of the 12 groups, with Birmingham, Braga and Bruges all locked together on seven points.

Birmingham fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home to Bruges, while last year’s beaten finalists Braga thumped Maribor 5-1. The Slovenians only have one point and are now eliminated.

Group I is also wide open, with Atletico Madrid and Udinese locked together on seven points despite the Spanish side thumping their Italian opponents 4-0 on Thursday.

Celtic moved into third place on five points after coming from behind to beat Rennes 3-1, with the French club trailing on two points.

German giants Schalke were held to a 0-0 draw by Larnaca of Cyprus, but they still lead Group J on eight points.

Maccabi Haifa are two points behind them despite the Israeli’s being thumped 4-2 at Steaua Bucharest, who are now just a point behind in third place.

Meanwhile, FC Twente joined compatriots PSV Eindhoven in the last 32 after a late goal gave them a 3-2 victory over Odense of Denmark in Group K.

The Dutch side are on 10 points, and they look sure to be joined by 2010 finalists Fulham, who beat Wisla Krakov 4-1 to lie just three points behind the leaders.

And Group L is already concluded after wins for both Anderlecht and Lokomotiv Moscow, who now have to battle to see who finishes top of the group.

Belgians Anderlecht are the only side in the competition with a maximum 12 points and they sealed their place with a 3-0 victory over Sturm Graz, while Lokomotiv are second on nine points after winning 3-1 at AEK Athens.