Fiorentina vs. Tottenham: Score, Grades, Reaction from Europa League Game
Fiorentina beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at home in Thursday's second-leg clash to book their ticket to the next round of the Europa League with relative ease. The Italian side overcame a strong start from the visitors and dominated the second half, just like they did at White Hart Lane, to ultimately take the round 3-1 on aggregate.
La Viola came into the match with the away-goal advantage and defended their position for the first 45 minutes, before taking advantage of a tired Tottenham back four after the break.
Football Syndicate noticed an odd trend when the two starting XIs were announced:
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
"Not a single Italian in the Fiorentina XI tonight....nor a single Englishman in the Tottenham XI
— Football Syndicate (@footysyndicate) February 26, 2015"
The hosts felt comfortable defending the away goal from the opening whistle and allowed Spurs to grab possession of the ball, feeling confident in their ability to score on the counter-attack. The strategy worked well in London during the second half, although the fans weren't so happy that their team gave up possession at home.
Tottenham did well passing the ball around the box and prodding for the opening, but the early chances were for La Viola. Mohamed Salah released Milan Badelj just minutes into the match, and he did the same with Marcos Alonso after 10 minutes.
The threat of the counter loomed large, and Spurs' high defensive line certainly didn't help. Former England international Gary Lineker couldn't hide his frustration with Mauricio Pochettino's decision to use the system:
"Tottenham's high-line without any pressure on the player in possession is a recipe for disaster. Basic defending.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) February 26, 2015"
Erik Lamela had the first shot on goal for the visitors after good work from Christian Eriksen, and the Dane tumbled to the ground appealing for a penalty minutes later.
Spurs remained the team in possession, but the hosts threatened more, as the counter-attack produced chance after chance. Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was on point to deal with the danger, however, and Tottenham's central duo made it back in time to snuff out the danger more often than not.
The Premier League side should have taken the lead after half an hour if not for a comical error from striker Roberto Soldado. Through on goal with team-mate Nacer Chadli at his side, the Spaniard inexplicably opted for a weak, obvious pass that trickled into the arms of Fiorentina goalkeeper Neto, who looked shocked at the forward's decision
The Sunday World's Kevin Palmer didn't mince his words about Soldado's missed chance:
Neither did football writer Ryan Rosenblatt:
The massive chance seemed to inspire the visitors, who took even more control of the ball and started to push La Viola back into their own box. The final chance of the first half fell to Salah, who used his pace to break free before firing a rushed shot well over the bar.
Squawka shared the half-time stats, although predictably, there was room to take a shot at Soldado's awful miss:
Tottenham's pace dropped slightly at the start of the second half, and fans had to sit through 10 minutes of little chances and many fouls.
Their groans soon changed to cheers, however. Spurs centre-back Federico Fazio played a horrid pass straight for Badelj, who freed up veteran Mario Gomez for an easy goal and the 1-0 lead.
As shared by Football Italia, things were going exactly to Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Montella's plan:
The goal completely tilted momentum in favor of the hosts, who came close to adding to their tally through Salah and Badelj within minutes. Pochettino answered by bringing on Harry Kane, to the delight of the Spurs fans:
Kane's introduction gave the visitors a small boost, but a moment of poor concentration among the back four handed the hosts a second goal on a silver platter. Salah and Gomez combined well to set up the on-loan Egyptian, who took full advantage when Spurs centre-back Jan Vertonghen didn't react fast enough.
Football Italia put the blame for the goal on the Belgian:
Kane had the ball in the net just minutes later but the flag went up for offside, and replays showed Ben Davies, who assisted the goal, was several yards beyond the last defender when the ball was played to him.
Eriksen stung the gloves of Neto with another effort, but La Viola easily took control of the ball with 10 minutes left to play, looking to run out the clock and avoid a late push from Spurs.
Fiorentina once again used their strong organisation and excellent speed on the counter to obtain a result against one of the better teams left in the tournament, and the Italians will like their chances of continuing their run in the next round.
Tottenham's fate could have been very different had they done a better job finishing their chances early in both matches, and Pochettino's decision to keep Kane on the bench in London and Florence will undoubtedly be scrutinized in the coming days.
Relevant Match Grades
Mohamed Salah: B+
Salah and Badelj were both fantastic in abusing the spaces on the counter, but the Chelsea man just edges his Croatian counterpart thanks to his goal and continued hard work in midfield.
Micah Richards: B
If Richards is serious about a return to one of the Premier League's top sides, he put in a pretty good audition on Thursday. Excellent on the back end, his pace moving forward did plenty of damage against a lacklustre Tottenham defence.
Roberto Soldado: D
Its difficult to single out just one Tottenham player in what was an altogether disappointing outing, so we'll go with the obvious choice. Soldado is a prime example of a striker who has no confidence in his own abilities, leading to ridiculous blunders like the one in the first half. If that ball goes in, Spurs have all the momentum and would be likely to qualify for the next round.
Post-Match Reaction
As shared by Football Italia, Fiorentina scorer Mario Gomez praised his team's unity after the match:
La Viola's Salah continued to impress on loan from Chelsea. When asked whether his team were winners in the deal to send Juan Cuadrado to London and bring Salah in, Fiorentina boss Montella avoided the question with a joke, per Bleacher Report's Matteo Bonetti:
