BARCELONA • Mauricio Pochettino hailed his players for achieving "mission impossible" after Tottenham completed an improbable turnaround to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday.
The 1-1 draw at Barcelona put the exclamation point on Spurs' European campaign to consign their nightmare start in Group B to distant memory.
Pochettino's men had garnered only a point from their opening three games, but arrived at the Nou Camp knowing that Inter Milan had to better their result to go through.
The Spanish champions had already qualified as group winners and their much-changed line-up gave the away fans hope with Barca coach Ernesto Valverde handing Juan Miranda and Carles Alena their Champions League debuts.
Munir El Haddadi played up front while Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Sergio Busquets all dropped to the bench as Valverde opted to rest his regulars ahead of the Spanish champions' LaLiga trip to Levante on Sunday.
But Spurs' plight looked bleak when Ousmane Dembele's sensational individual strike put them on the back foot in the group decider.
Yet Lucas Moura's late leveller ensured the Premier League club would reach the knockout phase for only the third time in their history. They were indebted, however, to PSV Eindhoven, who held Inter to a surprise 1-1 draw at the San Siro.
After sneaking above the Italian Serie A side due to a better head-to-head record, Pochettino declared it was a "massive motivation" with Spurs' new stadium expected to be ready when the last-16 ties take place in February.
NEVER SAY NEVER
I'm so happy, so proud, I remember that after PSV, no one believed in us, it was mission impossible but we are here, we're in the next round.
MAURICIO POCHETTINO, Tottenham manager, on his team's achievement especially after collecting only a point at the halfway mark of three games.
"I'm so happy, so proud, I remember that after PSV, no one believed in us, it was mission impossible but we are here, we're in the next round," he told reporters.
"It's a massive achievement for the club, we're happy for the fans here and around the world, it's a massive boost for the club, to be able to play in the knockout rounds next year in the new stadium."
The Argentinian admitted that he and his players were caught in two minds over whether to try to hold on for the draw or seek a winner after news filtered through about Mauro Icardi's second-half equaliser for Inter.
Hirving Lozano had opened the scoring for Dutch champions PSV.
"It was difficult to manage the last 10 minutes. The players knew the result of Inter, but it is difficult to translate what to do to the field," he said.
"You have to score to win but, if you concede and lose the game, maybe you talk in a different way afterwards."
The manager also felt progression from a group that had opponents of genuine European pedigree ranked among his greatest achievements since taking over Spurs in 2014.
"It was so difficult to manage everything inside, but we made a fantastic effort. To see and celebrate with everyone after four years and a half was great, it was the first time I felt something really special," he added.
"The connection is amazing, but we need to be clever about how we manage that energy tonight."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Liverpool rediscovered their swagger and stayed top of the Premier League with a thrilling 5-0 win over Watford that was powered by two goals apiece from Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk on
Stylish Liverpool thrash Watford 5-0 to stay top of league
Football in Iraq was lost under Uday Hussein. Under his oppressive regime, football that is usually a conduit for relief became strangled. Without offering players the dream to leave the country and constantly threatening players after losses with torture and death, Iraqis were given little incentive to dream and to play for the national football squad.
Iran national football team - Wikipedia
England football captain Harry Kane honoured at Buckingham
Our Tampines Hub to screen Champions League showdown on Sunday channelnewsasia.com - CNA Winning the Europa League final and returning to the Champions League will earn Arsenal a cash bonanza
Our Tampines Hub x UEFA Champions League Final - YouTube
Watford winger Richarlison will have a medical at Everton on Monday before finalising his £44million move. The fee, understood to be an initial £35m with add-ons, could represent a potential £
Melee at UFC 229 after Nurmagomedov beats McGregor | 650 CKOM
Football: Singapore fall short in bid to qualify for AFC U-23
National sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced on Sunday that they have penned a three-year partnership with Bayern Munich.. As a result of this tie-up, both the parties involved will
Bayern Munich sign partnership with Sport Singapore
Mesut Ozil made the most of being handed a rare start by Arsenal boss Unai Emery as the German masterminded a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday to keep the Gunners in pole position for a
Ozil leads five-star Arsenal past Bournemouth
Homesick Sarri hints at Italy return, but Juventus still playing coy. Sarri indicates a swift return to Italy. By Sudip Majumder @studipm Jun 4, 2019, 8:30pm BST Share Tweet Share.
Lure of Italy strong, says Chelsea's homesick Sarri - News
Lost in Space is an American science fiction family franchise centered around a television series filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, broadcast on CBS and created and produced by Irwin Allen, who referred to it as "science-fact science fiction".
See All The Satellites And Space Junk Circling Earth In Real
Reds get back fear factor, says Van Dijk AFP. The Anfield side fell behind domestic and European rivals but Tuesday's remarkable 4-3 aggregate win over Barcelona secured back-to-back Champions
Liverpool news: Virgil van Dijk warns Reds of Huddersfield
Football News - Fabio Quagliarella attributed his new-found serenity, after years of a stalker nightmare, to his stunning form as the 36-year-old became the oldest player to score for Italy
Jan 22, 2019 · Jan. 22 (UPI) --Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo pleaded guilty to tax fraud in a Madrid Court Tuesday and agreed to pay $21.6 million in fines. Ronaldo also received a two-year suspended prison
Ronaldo fined €19m for tax fraud, avoids jail
Pochettino plans to ruin old pal Guardiola's Champions League bid Guardiola's side must overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit at the Etihad Stadium to avoid extending their manager's frustrating
Pochettino plans to ruin old pal Guardiola's Champions League bid
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar