Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Tottenham
winger Erik Lamela says the Spurs players decided they weren't going to
accept defeat at Juventus, after going down 2-0 on Tuesday.
Mauricio Pochettino's charges found themselves staring down the barrel of a gun after 10 minutes of their Champions League last-16 first-leg clash in Turin. The Bianconeri's veteran striker Gonzalo Higuain put the hosts 2-0 ahead with goals in the second and ninth minutes of play.
However, Lamela and company picked themselves up and finished the clash level at 2-2 after goals from Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, giving them an away-goal advantage heading into the second leg at Wembley Stadium.
"It was really difficult in those first 10 minutes, which hurt badly, but we looked each other in the eyes and decided it couldn’t end like that," Lamela told RMC Sport in Italy.
"Keeping possession helped us a great deal and getting it back to 2-1 gave us the confidence that we could equalise.
"We put in a great performance, as we’ve got real belief in ourselves. Even after going 2-0 down, we didn’t fall apart. It was a good result after that start, because it had seemed like a night to forget.
"I don’t know what Juve will do in the second leg. They need to score, but we will play our style of football, as we always do."
