Historic night as Stadium hosts first-ever NFL match

History was made as our new stadium hosted an NFL match for the first time on Sunday evening.

The eyes of the sporting world were again on Tottenham as two of the sport’s most storied teams – Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears – went into battle in front of 60,463 fans.

After three hours of dramatic action in the closely fought contest – the 25^th NFL London game - it was the Oakland Raiders who went on to take the victory in N17 with a 24-21 triumph.

The day had started early, with crowds arriving hours before kick-off to take in the festivities on the High Road, packing it with colour and noise, before making their ways into the first purpose-built NFL arena outside the USA. This week, our 62,214 multi-purposed home transformed into NFL mode ahead of two American Football matches to be played there this month, as we kick-start our 2015 agreement with the NFL for a minimum of two NFL games per year to be played at our new stadium during a 10-year partnership.

Our world-first retractable football pitch divided into three trays and slotted away into a specialist underground garage to reveal the American Football astro-turf field. Up went the goal posts, the on-pitch markings were painted, and the flags of the United States of America and United Kingdom were hoisted to the stadium roof to overlook the action. Seats in the East Stand were removed to reveal the lower tier’s removable tunnel, while the alternative dressing rooms to support the 53 men-strong NFL outfits were also put into action.

One of our own and an ardent supporter of the sport, Harry Kane, was on the pitch before kick-off to assist with the pre-match coin toss, which the Bears won and elected the Raiders to receive the ball first. The national anthems of the United States of America and the United Kingdom were then heard by our new home in the traditional pre-match ceremony of the International Series before the Bear’s Pat O’Donnell kicked-off proceedings.

The home side in the contest, the Raiders, took the game to the Bears in the opening two quarters and thanks to the composure of their quarterback Derek Carr as well as the slow start to the game from his opposing number, Chase Daniel. The Californian based side were 17-0 ahead by the end of the second quarter

Bears quarterback Daniel was making just his fifth start of his career, replacing the injured Mitchell Trubisky, but it was a tough start to the encounter for the number four. In his first few plays, he had committed a false start and then was sacked by Maxx Crosby, before ultimately losing play to the Raiders. Gaining back possession right at the end of the first quarter, Oakland had their first touchdown of the evening just five seconds after interval.

It was the impressive Josh Jacobs, who is enjoying a bright start to his rookie year in the franchise, who provided it, carrying the ball over into the endzone to complete the 12-yard move before Daniel Carlson provided the extra point with the following field goal.

There was then more misery for the Bears’ quarterback Daniel – who was sacked twice more in the second quarter - as, when he looked to get his side moving again, his pass was easily intercepted within his own 40 by Nicholas Morrow to put the Raiders back in control. The California-based outfit progressed and with a penalty within 10 yards of the endzone, Carr laid the ball off to DeAndre Washington who simply carried the ball over for their second touchdown, with just over five minutes of the second phase played. And once more, Carlson’s subsequent kick was good, and it added the extra point making it 14-0 to the hosts. With just under two minutes remaining before half-time, Carlson was once again called out for kicking duties as the Raiders were awarded a penalty which he converted to make it 17-0.

Again, at the break, there was another historic moment as it hosted the first-ever half-time show outside in an NFL game in the UK. Local rapper and Spur fan AJ Tracey headlined and performed his hit single Ladbroke Grove inside the Stadium bowl while a laser show was projected onto the pitch before firework display from the roof gave the entertainment an explosive finish.

Into the third quarter, as is the drama in American Football, the game turned on its head in the third quarter as the Bears stormed back from 17-0 down to take the lead. That change in fortune was largely due to the change in form of both sides’ quarterbacks.

A sloppy mistake at the back with miscommunication between the Raider’s Carr and Jacobs saw a turnover of possession with Khalil Mack reclaiming the ball for the Bears. In the next play, Daniel failed in his first attempt to pick out a teammate in the endzone, however, to his fortune, a penalty was given for a defensive hold. That decision saw the Bears get on the scorecard as the back-up quarterback offloaded to David Montgomery to record the Chicago-based outfit's first touchdown of the night before O’Donnell kicked to put the full seven points on the board. 17-7.

Daniel was now starting to find his gear, something which was demonstrated by his 40-yard pass to wide receiver Anthony Miller, 10 minutes into the third phase. The resultant play saw the Bears score their second touchdown of the evening through Robinson II with the offload from Daniel, before O’Donnell was again successful in the resultant kick – 17-14.

The Raiders quarterback Carr, then made his second of the quarter error. With the third drawing to a close, the quarterback's pass was intercepted and in the next play, the Bear’s Tarik Cohen was allowed to make up ground for his side, exploiting the space on the left and making up a monumental 80-yards - a downfield charge which resulted in his side taking the lead for the first time in the game. Daniel throwing to Robinson II once more to catch in the end zone before O’Donnell produced his third successful kick to make it 17-21 in the Bears' favour.

But, despite the mistakes, Carr and the Raiders weren’t finished for the night and as the clash approached it’s last few minutes, the quarterback started linking up with Foster Moreau with the tight end continuing to find space. A clinical dispatch from Carr picked out Moreau just two yards from the endzone and in the next play, the number four played in Jacobs once more and he leapt over the Bears blockade to score his second touchdown and restore the Raider’s lead. O’Donnell then kicked to make it 24-21 and seal a dramatic victory for the Raiders in the first game in N17.

The game was the first of two matches this year at our new home with Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers meeting on Sunday week, 13 October.