Fiorentina booked their spot in the last 16 of the Europa League by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in Italy to send the North Londoners out of the competition.
The Serie A side held a slight advantage following a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane last week, and they frustrated the visiting attack before securing their progress with second-half goals from Mario Gomez and Mohamed Salah.
Spurs were unable to produce a response in the latter stages, and they fell to a 3-1 aggregate loss to put an end to their hopes of triumphing in a UEFA competition for the first time since 1984.
Read below to find out how the action unfolded.
5.30pmHello everyone! It's a big night in the Europa League as 32 sides bid to earn a spot in the next round, and I'll be bringing you live updates from Fiorentina vs. Tottenham Hotspur. A 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane a week ago means that Fiorentina hold a slight advantage with the away goal, but can Spurs hit back tonight?
5.32pmLast week's meeting in North London proved that these two sides are very evenly matched, and it's a safe bet to expect another tight match this evening. Jose Basanta's away goal could prove to be crucial when we look back on this tie in a couple of hours. The first goal tonight will be huge.
5.35pmFIORENTINA: Neto; Richards, Savic, Basanta, Alonso; Badelj, Pizarro, Fernandez; Joaquin, Gomez, Salah
SPURS: Lloris; Chiriches, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies; Bentaleb, Stambouli; Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela; Soldado
5.37pmThere's surely no doubt that Mauricio Pochettino has one eye on Sunday's League Cup final against Chelsea. The Argentine has made seven changes to his side, with top scorer Harry Kane named on the bench just as he was in the first leg. Roberto Soldado leads the attack, while there are also starts for Erik Lamela, Nacer Chadli, Benjamin Stambouli and Vlad Chiriches.
5.40pmFiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella has recalled goalkeeper Neto in place of Ciprian Tatarusanu, while Joaquin and Mohamed Salah both in the side to support lone striker Mario Gomez. There's also a spot in defence for Micah Richards.
5.42pmBefore we go any further let's take a quick look at the two benches.
FIORENTINA: Lezzerini, Gonzalo, Aquilani, Pasqual, Babacar, Tomovic, Ilicic
SPURS: Vorm, Rose, Walker, Mason, Paulinho, Townsend, Kane
5.45pm
0 - Spurs have never progressed in European competition knockout rounds when they have failed to win the first leg at home. Tricky.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 26, 20155.47pmFiorentina have to be considered favourites, thanks largely to that away goal. However, if Spurs start well and get an early goal, the momentum will quickly change in this tie. It will be intriguing to see how the hosts approach this game, and whether they are willing to risk too much early on.
5.50pmYou can understand Pochettino's decision to leave out a few regulars tonight, but it's still a strong side. He knows just how important it is to fans to claim silverware on Sunday, but with a Champions League spot on offer and the race for a place in the top four taking regular twists, will he regret not putting his eggs in the Europa League basket? Tottenham's season could look very different on Sunday evening.
5.53pm
The players applaud our travelling fans on their way out to warm-up. We've sold out our 2,200 allocation. #COYS pic.twitter.com/6DNuTkOybI
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 26, 20155.55pmSpurs haven't always enjoyed their visits to Italy. They've won just one of their six trips, and that came thanks to Peter Crouch's winner in the 1-0 triumph over AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League four years ago.
5.58pmHere we go then. The players are out on the pitch at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. We're just a few moments away from kickoff.
1 minKICKOFF: Fiorentina get the game underway!
2 minBright start from the visitors as Lamela carries the ball forward before being dispossessed on the edge of the box. The Argentine really needs to deliver the goods tonight.
4 minThe noise is incredible in the early stages. There's over 2,000 Spurs fans in the ground, but you can only hear the home supporters, who respond with loud jeers every time the visitors are in possession.
5 minBadelj collects the ball in space 25 yards from goal, but his wayward effort is never troubling Lloris in the Spurs goal.
8 minFiorentina are dictating the tempo at the moment as they enjoy an extended spell of possession, but Spurs are responding well to limit the space on offer. It looks like the hosts fancy their chances of causing problems when Salah is facing Chiriches.
9 minA Fiorentina corner is punched clear by Lloris, and Pizarro can only fire over the crossbar after collecting the loose ball on the edge of the box.
10 minMuch better from Spurs. They commit more men forward, and Eriksen tees up Lamela, whose volleyed effort forces Neto into the first save of the evening.
11 minThere's a few shouts for a penalty from the Spurs players when Eriksen is challenged by Savic, but the Dane has probably gone down slightly too easily.
14 minSpurs have improved in the last few minutes, but this Fiorentina defence will be difficult to break down. Eriksen is starting to see more of the ball, which is good news for Pochettino's side.
16 minFazio misjudges a long ball forward from the hosts, but luckily for the centre back, Salah is caught in a n offside position. Joaquin then ends a promising move with a poor pass to bring groans from the home fans.
17 minSuperb work from Vertonghen. Gomez is clear of the Spurs defence, but his lack of pace invites pressure from the Belgian, who wins the ball back before earning a goal kick for his side.
20 minIt's not been the most open of starts to this game, and that probably suits Fiorentina in truth. The pressure is on Spurs to get onto the front foot, and although they're coping well in midfield, it's been difficult to find space further up the pitch.
22 minSpurs are looking to get the ball out onto the left wing as often as possible. Chadli has looked dangerous when attacking Richards, while Savic has been caught out of position a couple of times already. Stambouli fires a speculative effort straight at a Fiorentina defender after Eriksen's corner is cleared to the edge of the box.
23 minChiriches gets forward on the right before delivering an inviting cross into the box to force Savic into a fine headed clearance. Spurs are beginning to apply more pressure on the home defence.
25 minSUBSTITUTION: Bad news for the hosts. Fernandez has been down receiving treatment and he decides that he won't be able to continue. Former Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani is his replacement.
28 minGood goalkeeping from Neto. Fazio is allowed to come forward with the ball and he responds by chipping a pass to Soldado, but Neto is off his line quickly to collect. Soldado has barely been involved early on.
29 minCHANCE! Soldado comes to life as he finds space beyond the Fiorentina defence to collect the ball, but his attempt to cross for Chadli is stopped by Neto, who makes another vital interception. What a chance for Spurs. They really should have opened the scoring.
31 minIt really shouldn't come as much of a surprise anymore, but Bentaleb is quietly having another excellent game in midfield for Spurs as he continues to break up play and start attacks from a deep position. He's quickly become a key man in this side.
34 minAnother promising move breaks down when Chadli is flagged offside, despite appearing to time his run perfectly. Spurs are improving as the game progresses, but Fiorentina look comfortable and have the potential to threaten on the break.
35 minExcellent football from the visitors. Eriksen's chipped pass finds Lamela, who turns into some space before picking out Chiriches, but the Romanian's cross is cleared away by Basanta.
36 minYELLOW CARD! Bentaleb drives forward from midfield and Badelj picks up a yellow card for bringing down the Algerian 30 yards from goal. Eriksen will take the free kick.
37 minEriksen's free kick hits the Fiorentina wall, and the hosts eventually manage to relieve the pressure with a free kick following a foul from Fazio.
40 minGomez has a shot blocked as Fiorentina get onto the front foot for a spell, but both sides have lacked that extra bit of quality in the final third so far.
43 minSHOT! Badelj clips a lovely ball into the path of Salah, who finds himself in a promising position but can only fire over the crossbar.
45 minThe fourth official confirms there will be one minute added on.
6.47pmHALF TIME: FIORENTINA 0-0 SPURS
6.49pmIt's Fiorentina who still hold the advantage at the halfway stage in the second leg. If it remains goalless, the hosts will go through on the away goals rule. A goal for Spurs would change everything, but neither side have found it easy to create chances in the first half. Spurs have dominated possession and looked comfortable. Can they make the breakthrough?
6.52pmPochettino will be pretty pleased with his side's first-half display, but he'll want to see them make better decisions in the final third of the pitch. Lamela, Chadli and Eriksen have looked dangerous when they are on the ball, and Spurs need to keep getting them involved. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Kane to be introduced.
6.54pmBENCH WATCH: As well as Kane, Spurs have plenty of other options. Andros Townsend's direct approach could cause more problems for this stubborn Fiorentina defence, and he played pretty well in the first leg last week. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Khouma Babacar replace Gomez at some stage for Fiorentina, who have already been forced into one change.
6.58pm
Here's a look at the stats from the opening 45 mins. As it stands, Fiorentina are going through on away goals. #COYS pic.twitter.com/73Xvh2IzkP
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 26, 20157.02pmThe players are back out for the second half. It will be Spurs who get the game back underway. No changes for either side at the break.
46 minJoaquin comes forward with the ball to find space on the edge of the box, but he can only send a speculative effort over the crossbar.
48 minGood play on the wing from Chadli as the Belgian skips a couple of challenges before firing in a low cross which Neto collects in a congested box. Spurs need to improve the quality of their final ball.
51 minYELLOW CARD! Badelj is almost caught in possession, but Davies is slightly too aggressive with the challenge and he goes into the book.
52 minCHANCE! The impressive Salah finds the space to deliver a cross which is deflected into the path of Badelj, whose effort is easily held by Lloris. Decent opportunity for the hosts.
54 minGOAL! FIORENTINA 1-0 SPURS (GOMEZ)
55 minFiorentina break the deadlock as Spurs lose possession in a dangerous position to allow Gomez to sprint clear of Fazio before slotting the ball past Lloris. The hosts now lead 2-1 on aggregate. Not much changes for Spurs, who now need the away goal to force extra time.
56 minFazio has to accept full responsibility for the goal. He gifted possession to Gomez, and the German was always going to make the visitors pay. Spurs need to produce a swift response. Is it time for Mr Kane?
57 minSUBSTITUTION: Basanta comes off for the hosts, with Gonzalo Rodriguez sent on as his replacement.
60 minFiorentina are growing in confidence, despite Spurs still seeing a lot of the ball. The hosts don't need to risk much at this stage of the tie, and they continue to look like a difficult side to break down.
62 minSUBSTITUTION: Good goalkeeping from Lloris to deny Salah after the Egyptian had timed his run to sprint clear of the Spurs defence. Pochettino makes two changes as Townsend and Kane replace Bentaleb and Chadli.
65 minIt looks like Stambouli will be asked to keep Fiorentina out in midfield. Eriksen will play slightly deeper, but he'll be getting forward as often as possible. Badelj comes close to doubling the lead when he fires over after taking on Vertonghen.
67 minThere's a lot of space for Fiorentina to use on the break, but they're happy to frustrate Spurs, who are continuing to struggle with their final ball. You've got to give credit to the hosts.
71 minGOAL! FIORENTINA 2-0 SPURS (SALAH)
72 minIt looks like Tottenham's European campaign is over for another season. Fiorentina double their advantage through Salah, who capitalises on a mistake from Vertonghen before hammering an emphatic finish past a helpless Lloris. The Egyptian then picks up a booking for taking his shirt off. Fiorentina are heading through.
75 minSpurs are desperately looking for a way back into the tie, and they have a chance when Townsend wins a free kick 25 yards from goal. Walker then comes off the bench to replace Vertonghen, whose mistake has cost his side tonight.
76 minEriksen strikes the wall once again with a free kick before Soldado's effort is blocked on the edge of the box. It's not looking good for Spurs as we enter the latter stages of this match.
77 minKane thinks he has pulled a goal back for the visitors, but Davies was caught in an offside position before teeing up the striker. More disappointment for Spurs.
81 minFiorentina's game plan has been perfect. They've attacked at the right times, but every midfielder has done a good job of getting behind the ball to frustrate the visitors. Montella will be delighted with this performance.
84 minSUBSTITUTION: Montella makes his final change of the evening as Joaquin, who has followed up his impressive performance in North London with another good game, makes way for Pasqual.
86 minUnfortunately for Spurs, it's Fiorentina who are controlling the game in the closing stages and the frustration is clear for the visitors.
87 minSAVE! Spurs send numbers forward once again as they look to set up a dramatic finish, but Neto responds impressively to make a fine save from Eriksen's effort. Soldado then flicks just wide from Townsend's inviting cross.
90 minThe fourth official confirms there will be three minutes added on.
90+3 minSpurs can't build up any pressure in stoppage time and their challenge is fading. Fiorentina look comfortable and very, very impressive.
7.51pmFULL TIME: FIORENTINA 2-0 SPURS
7.54pmIt's all over. Fiorentina have executed the perfect plan in both legs to progress with a 3-1 aggregate triumph, and Spurs really can't have any complaints. Pochettino's side dominated possession for long spells, but they just couldn't make the breakthrough and their European campaign is over for another season. Their hopes of claiming a Champions League spot through this competition also come to an end, and that piles the pressure on them in the league. Can they soften the blow with a win over Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday? Spurs fans will hope so.
7.55pmThat's all from our live coverage tonight. Thanks for joining me, but make sure you keep an eye out for reaction from both sides this evening. Goodnight!
