Partizan win a start but Tottenham need to improve - Stambouli

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Partizan win a start but Tottenham need to improve - Stambouli

The French midfielder scored the only goal on Thursday night but should have had more as Spurs missed several opportunities while confirming their Europa League progress

Tottenham midfielder Benjamin Stambouli acknowledges that his side need to improve despite the morale boost of qualifying for the Europa League knockout stages.

Spurs were lacklustre in a 1-0 Group C win over already-eliminated Partizan on Thursday - Stambouli scoring the game's only goal in the 49th minute.
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The Frenchman's strike was his first for the club since joining from Montpellier on transfer deadline day and he dedicated his goal to those in the military after admitting that there is significant room for improvement for Mauricio Pochettino's side.

"It was very good to score and win," Stambouli told ITV. "It is only positive things for us. "We play good teams who love to fight and we need to improve.

"My celebration [a salute after scoring] was for all military round the world. They fight for peace."

Tottenham were sluggish in the first half but did improve after the break, only to miss a series of chances.

Youngster Harry Winks got a chance to make his debut late in the piece though and he dubbed it a life highlight.

The 18-year-old told the club's official website: "It's the best moment of my life. It's a dream come true. I loved every minute of it."

Besiktas' 2-2 draw at Asteras Tripolis sees Spurs top Group C by two points heading into matchday six - meaning that avoiding defeat in Turkey next month would be enough for Spurs to finish first in the pool.