Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni has admitted that his team were second best against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

The Nerazzurri must now overturn a 3-0 deficit at the San Siro if they are to progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Stramaccioni said that his team could have kept their hopes of qualification alive had Ricky Alvarez and Rodrigo Palacio taken their chances.

"I think Tottenham were honestly superior tonight in different ways, but we suffered more than anything on a physical level," Football Italia quotes Stramaccioni as saying.

"The real regret is we didn't make the most of those two great scoring opportunities, as we could've kept the qualification a lot more open than it is now.

"Tottenham confirmed their strong current form, now we must turn over a new leaf and look ahead to Bologna."

The second leg takes place next Thursday.