London – Antonio Conte, the head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, stated that his team was penalized for their mistakes in Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League loss to Sporting, but that they had improved in Europe since last year.
Spurs, who participated in the Europa Conference League last season, had the better scoring opportunities but Sporting substitutes Paulinho and Arthur Gomes scored in stoppage time to hand the London club its first loss of the season.
“The Champions League has a high standard. It is really tall. You are aware that in order to perform in this league, you must decrease your errors, as they can be costly,” Conte told reporters.
“Tonight, we paid a high price, and now we’re discussing a loss against a club that demonstrated familiarity with this competition… You must continue to better yourself, which is normal.
“Remember that we lost to Mura in the Conference League in Slovenia last November. I believe that we then took a significant stride forward because, in my opinion, a draw was more appropriate than a loss tonight.”
On Saturday, Spurs visit Leicester City in the Premier League.
Reuters