Pochettino: Fiorentina tie is open after first-leg draw

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino says his side's Europa League last-32 tie with Fiorentina is wide open after claiming a 1-1 away draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Published : Feb 19, 2016 11:22 IST , Florence

We know it's tough but we are always confident, stated Pochettino.
We know it's tough but we are always confident, stated Pochettino.
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We know it's tough but we are always confident, stated Pochettino.

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino says his side's Europa League last-32 tie with Fiorentina is wide open after claiming a 1-1 away draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Nacer Chadli's first-half penalty gave Tottenham the lead, but Federico Bernardeschi's deflected strike ensured the first leg ended all square. 

"The tie is open now, our aim is to get to the next round," said Pochettino after his side failed to extend their seven-match winning streak. 

"We know it's tough but we are always confident.

"Until Fiorentina scored and we conceded the goal I think we were much better and we dominated the game.

"We had lots of options and chances. But I am happy and pleased and the effort was fantastic.

"It is true that after they scored we concede a little bit of possession of the ball and maybe we lost control of the game, but in general after 90 minutes I am happy with the performance."

Pochettino said he did not witness a kick by Dele Alli on Fiorentina defender Nenad Tomovic, for which the English youngster escaped with just a yellow card.

"I don't know, I didn't see from my position," the Argentine said.

"It was difficult. A different action during the game, sometimes these things happen.

"I need to assess on the video and see what happened."

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