Europa League
Spurs
Feb 19, 2015 8.05pm
1
1
HT : 1 1
FT
Fiorentina
  • Roberto Soldado 6' goal
  • Roberto Soldado 35' yellowcard
  • yellowcard Gonzalo 4'
  • goal Jose Basanta 36'
  • yellowcard Stefan Savic 50'

Live Commentary: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Fiorentina - as it happened

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Spurs 1-1 Fiorentina - as it happened
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Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie at White Hart Lane.

Spurs made the perfect start to the match when Roberto Soldado volleyed home in the sixth minute, but Fiorentina were level before the break thanks to Jose Maria Basanta's equaliser.

Chances were difficult to come by in the second half, and the tie remains in the balance ahead of the second leg in Italy next month.

Read below to find out how the match unfolded in North London.

9.57pmThat's all from me tonight, but make sure you keep an eye out for reaction from both sides this evening. We hope you've enjoyed the live coverage. Goodnight.

9.55pmIt's all over at White Hart Lane. Neither side manage to find a winner in the closing stages, and it's Fiorentina who will be the happier team ahead of the second leg next month. The away goal could prove to be crucial in this last-32 tie.

9.54pmFULL TIME: SPURS 1-1 FIORENTINA

90+1 minGood work from Joaquin again as he sprints into space on the wing before teeing up Fernandez, who drags an effort wide from the edge of the box.

90 minSalah produces a clever piece of skill to find space before hitting a poor effort over the crossbar. Three minutes of added time to be played.

89 minSpurs are running out of time to find a winner at White Hart Lane, and in truth, Fiorentina are looking pretty comfortable at the back now after starting so poorly. Can either side create a chance late on?

86 minKane drops deep to begin a run on the right wing, and the forward does brilliantly to win a corner for his side. However, Tatarusanu comes off his line to collect under pressure.

84 minSUBSTITUTION: Spurs make their final change of the night as Mason replaces Paulinho in midfield. Josip Ilicic then comes on for Gomez.

81 minIt's not been such a thrilling encounter since the break, but Fiorentina are keeping it tight at the back to frustrate the home side heading into the final few minutes. They will be delighted if this result is secured.

78 minSUBSTITUTION: Montella makes another change as Valero makes way for Milan Badelj.

76 minSpurs continue to pile on the pressure as Savic puts Eriksen's dangerous cross behind for a corner, which eventually reaches Lamela, whose low strike flies just wide of the post.

73 minSUBSTITUTION: Spurs make their second change as Lamela comes off the bench to replace Townsend, who has had a good game on the wing.

72 minSpurs take another corner short, and Townsend delivers a cross which is headed straight at Tatarusanu by Soldado. It's the hosts who are pushing for the winner now as Fiorentina look to protect this valuable scoreline.

71 minSAVE! Tatarusanu sprints off his line quickly to deny Paulinho after the Brazilian had been played through by Soldado's clever flick. Good save from the Fiorentina goalkeeper.

69 minGomez has been forced to feed off scraps for most of the match, but the German does well to pick the ball up in a deeper position before sending a wayward effort over the crossbar.

68 minIt's no surprise to see Kane operating just behind Soldado. He enjoys dropping deeper, so it could be Fiorentina's midfield who are forced to handle the threat of Tottenham's in-form forward.

66 minSUBSTITUTIONS: Alonso comes on to replace Pasqual, and there's a huge cheer from the home fans as Chadli makes way for Harry Kane, who is set to join Soldado in the centre of attack. Eriksen is likely to move out to the left.

65 minCLOSE! Superb from Townsend once again as he beats a couple of defenders on the right before cutting inside to fire a shot just wide of the post.

62 minAnother Spurs attack breaks down, but the hosts keep the move alive and Bentaleb fires a half-volley over, before Pizarro drags a speculative effort wide at the other end.

61 minTownsend finds the space on the wing to curl in a cross for Soldado, who is unable to make the right contact with a header which drifts wide of the target.

59 minDavies is starting to get forward a bit more now, and the Welsh left-back links up with Chadli well before drilling an inviting ball across the box. Chadli then beats his marker to curl in a cross which just evades everyone in the box.

57 minClever work from Paulinho, Soldado and Eriksen on the edge of the box, but a promising move comes to an end when the latter's strike is blocked.

54 minThe game has hit a rare quiet period, and it certainly looks like Fiorentina have tightened up at the back and in midfield. It should suit the visitors to operate on the counter attack with a vital away goal in the bank.

50 minYELLOW CARD! Chadli shows a great turn of pace to knock the ball past Savic, who is cautioned for pulling back the Belgian. Paulinho sends the free kick into the box, but Fiorentina clear.

49 minJoaquin has been one of the better players for the visitors. The Spaniard may not be as quicker as he was a few years ago, but he's still a very clever passer of the ball and he's been involved a lot since Fiorentina fell behind early on.

47 minCHANCE! Fiorentina make a bright start to the second half as Salah finds space on the edge of the box before curling just past the post.

9.06pmThe two sides are back out on the pitch at White Hart Lane. Spurs will get the game back underway.

9.03pmI'm sure Fiorentina would take this result if you offered it to them now, and the pressure is probably on Spurs to look for a lead before the end of this first leg. However, the home side really need to be careful. A second away goal would make Fiorentina firm favourites.

9.01pmBENCH WATCH: Pochettino is sure to be pretty happy with how his attacking players performed in the first half, but he does have Kane, Erik Lamela and Mousa Dembele on the bench if he needs to change anything. It wouldn't be a surprise if Montella turned to Aquilani for a calm presence in midfield at some stage in the second half.

8.59pm

8.57pmSpurs certainly have the ability to create more chances, and they've looked dangerous when committing men forward from midfield. We could see Fiorentina look to frustrate the hosts in the second half after claiming a crucial away goal. Chadli's effort against the crossbar is proof that Spurs can continue to threaten.

8.53pmA very entertaining first half comes to an end at White Hart Lane. Spurs started superbly and deservedly led thanks to Soldado's volley, but Fiorentina improved before the break to level through Basanta. The visitors will be very happy.

8.51pmHALF TIME: SPURS 1-1 FIORENTINA

45 minOFF THE BAR! Spurs come agonisingly close to regaining the lead. Walker's dangerous cross is flicked on by Soldado, and the loose ball is fired against the crossbar by Chadli. Fiorentina manage to clear the danger in a congested box.

43 minSpurs decide to take their latest corner short, but Townsend's delivery is slightly too strong as the ball drifts out for a goal kick.

42 minSpurs need to keep getting the ball to Townsend. He's looking dangerous on both wings, and another corner is won at the end of a tricky run.

39 minHow will Spurs respond? They've been the better side, but Fiorentina are improving quickly and they almost create another chance when Pasqual receives the ball in an offside position on the wing.

38 minFiorentina are back level! Fernandez's free kick is well saved by Lloris, but the ball strikes Savic before falling to Basanta, who has the easy task of tapping in the equaliser from close range. That could be a very big goal in this tie.

37 minGOAL! SPURS 1-1 FIORENTINA (BASANTA)

36 minYELLOW CARD! Soldado is late with a challenge on Joaquin and the striker picks up a yellow card. Fiorentina have a free kick in a very dangerous position on the edge of the box.

34 minFiorentina move the ball around patiently before breaking through with Pascal, whose inviting cross is met with an effort from Gomez which drifts just wide of the post. Lloris probably had it covered.

33 min

31 minTownsend is causing plenty of problems on the right as he cuts in from the wing to fire a shot wide via a deflection from Savic. Fiorentina do not look comfortable coming out to confront the England international.

29 minFiorentina are starting to settle down at the back, and they've pushed further up to cramp the Spurs midfield for room. It looks like Soldado will get another chance to score his second of the night, but an offside flag halts his progress.

27 minSpurs commit too many men forward, and leave a lot of space for Fiorentina to break at pace, but Townsend receives a huge round of applause from the home fans when he tracks back to win the ball back for his side.

25 minYou wouldn't expect the pace of this match continue. It's been a very entertaining start, with Spurs still looking the better of the two sides. Fiorentina need to tighten up at the back to limit the space on offer to the likes of Eriksen, Chadli and Paulinho.

22 minPaulinho is seeing a lot of the ball in the Spurs midfield, and the Brazilian storms forward once again before testing Tatarusanu with a low strike from 25 yards.

20 minA goal can change everything. Soldado's confidence is sky-high as he reacts to a deflected cross by connecting with an overhead kick which Tatarusanu.

19 minExcellent football from the hosts as Chadli controls a high ball before setting up Eriksen, who sends a powerful strike just over the crossbar. Tottenham's attacking midfielders are finding plenty of space.

16 minMuch better from Fiorentina. They move the ball across the edge of the box quickly to find Salah, who earns a yard of space before hitting a powerful effort at the diving Vertonghen.

15 minCHANCE! Fiorentina enjoy an extended spell of possession, and they miss a good opportunity when Joaquin completely misses an attempted volley at the back post. Poor from the winger.

14 min

13 minSpurs put the pressure on as Paulinho miscues an effort following good work from Walker, before the Brazilian midfielder sees his corner cleared by the visitors. The hosts are committing a lot of men forward at the moment.

11 minYou never know what Soldado will produce, but he's leading the line impressively in the early stages. Spurs look the sharper of the two sides, and the Spaniard has been heavily involved so far. Fiorentina are looking sluggish.

9 minMore good work from Spurs as Townsend leads the attack before playing in Soldado, whose cross sails over the crossbar to the relief of Tatarusanu.

7 minAll of the talk was about the decision to leave out Kane, but it's Soldado who scores a vital early goal for the hosts. Moments after Chadli's effort is saved Spurs take the lead as Palinho's corner is volleyed hom emphatically by Soldado. It's an excellent finish. What a start for Spurs!

6 minGOAL! SPURS 1-0 FIORENTINA (SOLDADO)

4 minYELLOW CARD! Silly from Rodriguez as he picks up the first booking in the game for chopping down Townsend on the wing. That puts the defender under a lot of pressure.

2 minThe ball is shared around pretty evenly early on, with both Gomez and Soldado drifting into offside positions as the two sides look to get onto the front foot.

8.05pmFiorentina will get the game underway.

8.01pmFiorentina head into this match on the back of a six-match unbeaten run, so we'll be seeing two sides in very good form face off tonight. European nights at White Hart Lane usually deliver excitement, and the visiting supporters are making plenty of noise already. The players are on their way out for kickoff.

7.58pm

7.56pmPREDICTION: If Spurs can play some of the football they've produced in the Premier League recently, the hosts can control against Fiorentina, who could look to operate on the counter attack. There's exciting players on both sides, so we could see a lot of chances. I'm going for a Spurs win. 2-1.

7.52pmThe decision to leave out Kane is understandable as Spurs look to continue their bid for a spot in the Premier League's top four, but the striker has been in fantastic form recently, and Fiorentina will certainly be happy to see him on the bench. If Spurs struggle to break down the visitors tonight, Pochettino's decision could be criticised.

7.49pmWhat would be a good result for either of these sides tonight? Vincenzo Montella's Fiorentina side would be delighted to take an away goal from the game to put the pressure on Spurs ahead of the second leg next month. Pochettino will surely just want to be ahead by the end of the night, but a clean sheet could prove to be crucial.

7.46pm

7.43pmMohamed Salah starts for the visitors on his return to London after being loaned out by Chelsea on transfer deadline day. Joaquin and Borja Valero are among the starters in midfield, but Micah Richards is forced to settle for a place on the bench. Former Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani is also named as a substitute.

7.40pmFIORENTINA: Tatarusanu, Rodriguez, Savic, Pizarro, Mati Fernandez, Joaquin, Basanta, B. Valero, Pasqual, Gomez, Salah SUBS: Neto, Richards, Badelj, Aquilani, Alonso, Babacar, Ilicic

7.38pmSurprised by that Spurs side? I'm guessing you're not alone. Mauricio Pochettino decides to leave the in-form Harry Kane on the bench ahead of Sunday's Premier League game with West Ham, but it's a very big risk from the Argentine. Ryan Mason is also named as a substitute as Roberto Soldado and Paulinho start for the hosts. There's also places for Andros Townsend and Nacer Chadli, who are set to operate on the wings either side of Christian Eriksen.

7.35pmSPURS: Lloris, Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies; Bentaleb, Paulinho; Chadli, Eriksen, Townsend; Soldado SUBS: Vorm, Dier, Rose, Dembele, Lamela, Mason, Kane

7.33pmSpurs reached this stage of the competition by finishing second behind Besiktas in Group C, while Fiorentina topped Group K, although they probably would have hoped for a kinder draw in the last 32. The promise of a Champions League spot for the winners of the Europa League has changed the perception of this competition this year, and these two sides are competing for qualification in this cup and in their respective leagues this season.

7.30pmGood evening everyone. The Europa League is back tonight, and Tottenham Hotspur meet Fiorentina in the first leg of their last-32 clash at White Hart Lane in what is surely one of the biggest ties in the round. Both sides are confident of making further progress in the competition, but who will steal the advantage tonight?
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