Tottenham vs. Fiorentina: 2016 Europa League Round of 32, Leg 2 Score, Reaction

Tottenham Hotspur easily saw off Fiorentina's challenge during the second leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-32 clash on Thursday, winning 3-0 at White Hart Lane to take the tie by an aggregate score of 4-1.  

Ryan Mason gave the hosts the lead in the first half with a smart finish, and Erik Lamela put some distance between the two teams after 63 minutes. Gonzalo Rodriguez all but ended the tie with a late own goal.

Spurs were in control of the match from start to finish, and their spot in the next round is well-deserved.

As shared by Spurs' official Twitter account, Hugo Lloris made his return to the starting XI, handing the side a major boost:

Lloris immediately showed his pace to clear a ball ahead of Fiorentina forward Nikola Kalinic, who tried to get in behind the Spurs defenders in the opening minutes.

La Viola came out with a defensive mindset and seemed determined not to rush into attack, despite having to score in order to advance. Possession mainly fell to the hosts in the opening stages, although chances didn't immediately follow.

Matias Vecino powered a shot into the stands, and Eric Dier threatened with a header, pulling his effort wide. UEFA.com's Mark Pettit praised both teams' pressing but noticed chances were few:

As the first half wore on, the tempo of the match gradually increased, and both sides started to find openings. Josip Ilicic was the first to come close to scoring, firing a shot just wide of Lloris' goal before Dele Alli's cross fell just in reach of Fiorentina goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.

The youngster found more luck with his passing shortly after, sending Mason through on goal after some lovely interplay with Nacer Chadli. The England international opened up his body before slotting the ball home, handing Spurs the advantage.

Per OptaJoe, he couldn't have picked a better time to break his Europa League duck:

The official had to intervene and put out a couple of fires immediately after the goal, with Chadli and Rodriguez barging into each other. But despite the high intensity, chances remained few.

Chadli aimed a header right at Tatarusanu, while Borja Valero couldn't even manage that, steering his header into the side netting. Lloris again came off his line in time to keep the Spaniard from going through on goal minutes later, as Fiorentina couldn't find any way through Tottenham's defence and resorted to lobbing balls over the top.

At half-time, Squawka Football acknowledged Spurs' lead was a slim one, even if the hosts looked the better team during the first half:

As expected, Fiorentina showed more attacking intentions early in the second half, needing to find the breakthrough in order to force extra time. Milan Badelj tried his luck with a hard shot, but Spurs put enough bodies between the ball and Lloris to ensure the ball didn't reach its intended destination.

Christian Eriksen started to find some space down the right wing, firing in a handful of crosses. But the Dane couldn't convince his team-mates to join him on the counter, and Fiorentina started to look more and more dangerous.

Talented winger Federico Bernardeschi sent a warning to the hosts, firing a shot just over the bar, but just as La Viola seemed ready to increase the pressure, Lamela made it 2-0 to give his team some breathing space.

The Argentinian calmly converted from the turn, with Eriksen ready to fire the ball home as well after Fiorentina failed to clear their lines. Per WhoScored.com, Lamela seems to like playing in the Europa League:

La Viola were now forced to attack with numbers, needing to score twice in 20 minutes. Jakub Blaszczykowski came on for Valero as the visitors tried to load the Tottenham box with forwards, but the hosts easily stood firm and gave away few chances.

Instead, Spurs found a third goal as Rodriguez accidentally put the ball in his own net, killing his team's chances of qualifying for the next round completely.

Tottenham will host Swansea City in the Premier League on Sunday, while Fiorentina host Napoli on Monday in Serie A. 

Post-Match Reaction

Per Spurs' official Twitter account, manager Mauricio Pochettino was more than happy with the performance: "I'm very proud of the team and the performance. It was good to see and it's job done. A fantastic job."

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