Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente ready to die for the cause as rematch with Ajax awaits 

Fernando Llorente insists Tottenham will not blow their unlikely reprieve after being outplayed in the opening half of the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final by Ajax.

The Basque hero of their quarter-final win over Manchester City said even though they are 1-0 down, they have an extraordinary chance to make next month’s Champions League final. 

‘It’s 90 minutes and we have to be willing to die on the pitch, to make sure we leave it all out there, and do our best,’ he said. ‘We have a lot of options to win the game and get to the final.

‘The mentality is that we need to be aggressive, we have to be confident in ourselves. We are in the semi-finals because we’re doing really well, playing with confidence.

‘We won against Manchester City because we did something well and we have to keep trying in the same way as that game. We have to be ready to fight.

‘We didn’t start very well in the first game, but Ajax started very well and it was difficult to recover the ball. We ran a lot behind the ball and maybe that’s why we were in our half and suffering a little, because they were playing well.

‘We want to start the second leg differently, be aggressive and try to keep the ball and play.

Llorente’s side face a battle as they look to overturn a 1-0 deficit against the Dutch team

‘But they do a good press and we sometimes have the possibility to play long and try to play higher up the pitch. In the second half we started well because we were aggressive, we recovered the ball in their half and that’s why we had more opportunities and were close to scoring.

‘We’re making big progress. It’s really difficult to be in the semi-final of the Champions League and we have to take this opportunity because it’s amazing. The possibility to be in the Champions League final is unbelievable and this group deserves it.’

Tottenham have an option to extend the 34-year-old’s contract for a year at the end of the season but despite being a reserve at Spurs Llorente is one of the most decorated players in football, having won three Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia with Juventus, the Europa League with Sevilla and the World Cup and Euro 2016 with Spain.

Llorente is eyeing the Champions League to complete his set of major trophies

So he is eyeing the Champions League trophy to complete the set of major trophies.

‘For me it’s the title that’s left to win and it would be amazing,’ he said. ‘We have to believe in ourselves, in the team, and to believe in this group.

‘You have to be more confident sometimes in these games. Sometimes you can be nervous, or feel tension, in these games and you don’t play in the way you want to play.

‘But now we have the experience of Tuesday and we will do better next time.’