AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri believed his side could still qualify for the European Champions League quarterfinals following their 1-0 loss at home to Tottenham in the first leg tie on Tuesday.
Allegri admitted his side paid for their error which allowed Peter Crouch to score the only goal of the evening.
"We have paid for the error we committed when Tottenham were on the counterattack," the tactician said. "We were looking to score against a team who defended well, and it was difficult to find spaces.
"Qualification is still open. In London, we will need to play a different match. We were afraid in the first-half, and did not attack as much as we should have."
Milan left an ugly impression on a global audience with their constant crowding of the referee, Mathieu Flamini's horrible challenge on Vedran Corluka and Rino Gattuso twice striking Spurs coach Joe Jordan.
On Gattuso head-butting Jordan at the final whistle, Allegri shrugged: "I didn' t understand what happened there. It was just a scuffle, nothing serious."
