Marine’s part-time players had been holding off Tottenham for 20 minutes when apprentice plumber Neil Kengni spotted his chance. Some 30 metres from the goal of Joe Hart, who has played at a World Cup for England, Kengni unleashed a shot.

Surely the semi-professional eighth-tier club could not take the lead against the Premier League’s fourth-place team. Only the crossbar spared the blushes and Tottenham of Hart, who tipped the ball over to be sure.