Fiorentina vs. Tottenham: 2016 Europa League Round of 32, Leg 1 Score, Reaction

Fiorentina and Tottenham Hotspur played out a 1-1 draw during Thursday's Europa League round-of-32 action, leaving everything to play for when the two teams meet in the second leg.

Nacer Chadli opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half, but Federico Bernardeschi pulled the hosts level with a deflected shot in the second.

Neither team truly dominated the match, although Fiorentina had the better chances, especially in the second half. Spurs hold the advantage heading into the second leg thanks to the away goal.

As shared by the club's official Twitter account, Tottenham made a host of changes to the team that beat Manchester City. Ryan Mason made his first start since November, while Harry Kane started from the bench:

As expected, Fiorentina fans didn't pack the stands of the Stadio Artemio Franchi as part of ongoing protests that started earlier this season, according to Forza Italian Football. Those who did show up remained eerily quiet, making for an unusual atmosphere for such a major international clash.

Spurs didn't let it get to them and started brightly, however, with star youngster Dele Alli once again making a strong impression in midfield.

But while Tottenham saw most of the ball, Fiorentina's defence appeared airtight in the opening stages, and chances were few. Mauro Zarate had the first shot on goal, firing well over Michel Vorm's goal after 17 minutes.

Who Ate All the Pies was still impressed with Spurs, however:

The first real good chance of the match fell to Christian Eriksen, who did well to glide past two Fiorentina defenders before unleashing a powerful shot that forced goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu into making his first difficult save of the contest.

Controversy arose shortly after, as Alli appeared to kick Nenad Tomovic in the ribs while the latter was down. The Fiorentina players were rightly furious, and some mild pushing took place before the official calmed both teams down and presented the youngster with a yellow card.

The punishment hardly sufficed for the Viola, who couldn't believe Alli wasn't sent off for a blatant kick on Tomovic. Later, 888Sport couldn't help but notice that Spurs' official Twitter account conveniently left that bit out:

The hosts came close to opening the score after 34 minutes, as Zarate nearly diverted a ball past Vorm before Bernardeschi fired the rebound just wide. The Viola seemed fired up after the Alli controversy, and suddenly, the hosts were pushing for an opening goal.

Just as it looked like Spurs might struggle to reach half-time without conceding, they were handed a lifeline. Tomovic completely lost his head and slid into Ben Davies for no reason, and Chadli didn't miss from 11 yards out, handing Spurs a pivotal away goal.

As noted by Squawka Football, the Belgian has been in sensational form of late:

The Viola would muster one more good chance to strike back before half-time, but once again, Zarate couldn't keep the ball from flying well over the bar.

Spurs went looking for a second goal early in the second half, and Chadli should have doubled his tally. The Belgian was played in beautifully by Eriksen but took too long to get his shot off, allowing Tatarusanu to close down the angle and make the stop.

Heung-Min Son tried his luck from long range, as Tottenham increased the pressure while Fiorentina looked powerless. But the Viola equalised out of nowhere, as Bernardeschi fired from long range, and the ball took a deflection off Mason and ended up in goal.

Spurs' official Twitter account noted that the home fans seemed to come alive:

For the second time in the match, Spurs were lucky not to lose a player to a red card, as Davies hurled himself into Zarate despite already carrying a booking. 

The Viola went looking for a late winner, and Spurs answered by introducing Kane. The England international added another threat on the counter-attack, but Fiorentina looked the better side entering the final 15 minutes, attempting a number of long shots.

An injury to Zarate saw the match halted for a couple of minutes, handing the visitors a welcome breather. Alli tried to win Spurs the match with a late overhead kick that flew over the bar, and Zarate fired the last chance of the match in reach of Vorm, who preserved the draw for his team.

Spurs hold the advantage when these two teams meet for the second leg of this tie at White Hart Lane, but Fiorentina will take comfort from their strong second-half performance, knowing a single away goal in north London would blow the match wide-open. 

Post-Match Reaction

As shared by Spurs' official Twitter account, manager Mauricio Pochettino thinks the tie is still wide-open:

He also told ESPN (h/t Football Italia) he will have a good look at Alli's kick during the first half: "I don't know, I didn't see from my position. 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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