Friday, 21st March, 2014
Tottenham Hotspur boss Tim Sherwood has explained that his side were “gutted” after they crashed out of the Europa League at the hands of Benfica last night.
Spurs, who lost the first leg 3-1 at White Hart Lane, drew 2-2 at the Estadio da Luz to lose the Round of 16 tie 5-3 on aggregate.
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The hosts took the lead through Ezequiel Garay in the 54th minute but two goals in two second half minutes from Nacer Chadli gave the Premier League outfit some hope.
But Lima’s injury-time equaliser from the spot sealed the deal for Benfica as they progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
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However, Sherwood, who was pleased with his side’s display, expressed his disappointment after Tottenham failed to stay alive in the tournament.
“We didn’t do ourselves justice at home but we came here with a 3-1 deficit and we’re going home disappointed we didn’t turn it around – that says everything”, the manager told his club’s official site.
“The performance of the players as a group was magnificent.
“We had a game plan and even when they scored, we didn’t divert from it. We stuck to it and once we scored, we had them where we wanted them.
“We were creating chances and we’re just gutted we’ve come away and we’re not still in the competition.”
Tottenham will next face Southampton in a home Premier League fixture on Sunday.
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