The Tottenham boss says his side suffered more than expected against Borussia Dortmund but should be happy with their progression to the last eight
Mauricio Pochettino hailed his side’s last-16 win over Borussia Dortmund as an “important victory” for the club, who will now be forced to wait to see who they will face in the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition.
Spurs carried a comfortable 3-0 advantage into the second leg in Germany and added to that with a 1-0 win on Tuesday to secure their progression.
Harry Kane netted the game’s only goal on Tuesday as Tottenham progressed, and Pochettino feels as though his side have plenty to be proud of as they move onto the next round.
“We are in the quarter-finals,” said to BT Sport following Tuesday’s win. “I’m so happy for the players, and the fans. It’s an important victory.
“Of course we suffered a bit, but it’s ok and we fully deserved to be to be in the quarter-final.
“Hugo Lloris was great. We conceded more chances than we expected but that’s football. After losing in the first leg they had nothing to lose.
“It’s tough but overall, the objective was to be in the quarter-final and we are there.
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“In the last 10 minutes of the first half it was difficult for us. They started to play a little but more and then in the first action when we were able to connect we managed to score the goal.
“Now it’s about enjoying that we are in the quarter-final. We need to feel proud. The experience is so important to improve and get better. There’s a lot of things we can take from this type of game to make us a better team.”
The going has been tough for Spurs away from the Champions League, where the club drew 1-1 with Arsenal in the Premier League to extend their winless domestic run to three games.
They now find themselves in a race to stay inside the top four, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all within five points of third-placed Spurs in the table.
Pochettino’s side return to action on Saturday against Southampton and face a massive showdown with Liverpool in the league at the end of March.