ımpressive spurs swat fiorentina aside published: thursday 25 february 2016, 23.00cet tottenham 3-0 fiorentina (agg: 4-1) the north london side cruised into the last 16 with ryan mason, erik lamela and and a late own goal seeing off the viola. by mark pettit from white hart lane
tottenham into last 16 for third time in four seasons ryan mason surges through to slot in 25th-minute opener for spurs erik lamela's sixth goal in as many european games doubles lead kieran trippier's cross turned into own net by gonzalo rodríguez to seal win apply for tickets for uefa europa league final at basel's st. jakob-park round of 16 draw takes place on friday, with live coverage from 13.00cet
tottenham hotspur sealed their place in the uefa europa league's last 16 with a confident display in dispatching fiorentina at white hart lane.
mauricio pochettino's team started the brighter – as they had in florence – and eric dier's header just evaded dele alli and the far post as they signalled their intent, although fiorentina prospered in the wide areas with josip ıličić curling narrowly wide early on.
the first moment of high quality spawned the opening goal as alli reacted quickest to prod through to the onrushing ryan mason who coolly slid his finish across ciprian tătăruşanu – the england midfielder's first goal since september in an injury-interrupted season.
the viola responded with their best spell of the half, finally stifling alli for long enough to cause concern to the spurs rearguard as marcos alonso headed over.
tottenham again appeared hungrier after the interval with alli epitomising their industry, though fiorentina may have profited on the counterattack with more composure from the likes of federico bernardeschi and borja valero when well-placed.
the north london side showed greater poise in front of goal, however, as they prised a two-goal lead. nacer chadli's fierce shot was parried away but erik lamela swivelled and whipped the loose ball beyond tătăruşanu to give the hosts the breathing space they never looked like relinquishing.
ındeed a late third followed, kieran trippier sweeping in a low cross that gonzalo rodríguez could only thump into his own net via the underside of the bar.
mason counters dembélé loss mousa dembélé has been a revelation in the tottenham midfield this term and a two-week absence at a crucial stage of the campaign had spurs fans wondering who would step up. mason answered the call, his goal showing the sort of power, pace and strong running that his belgian counterpart is famed for.
alli sparkles again alli was a thorn in fiorentina's side in the first meeting and his presence unsettled them again at white hart lane. with the teenager waspish off the ball and composed on it, the viola seemed on edge every time the england midfielder found a pocket of space and drove at their back four. his quick reactions told with his assist for the crucial breakthrough.
composure the difference the scoreline may suggest a routine victory but the standard of finishing was ultimately the difference between the teams. while mason and lamela steadied themselves before finding the target, bernardeschi and valero's efforts when in range were rushed for a flustered visiting side. composure in defence was equally contrasting, toby alderweireld displaying tottenham's unflappability whereas rodríguez's eagerness only served to sealed fiorentina's fate.
