Hugo Lloris and Clement Lenglet commended Tottenham's desire after a comeback victory over Marseille sealed a place in the Champions League last 16.
Spurs headed into Tuesday's game at Stade Velodrome knowing a point would be enough to put them through, but Chancel Mbemba's goal in first-half injury time saw them staring down the barrel of an early exit from UEFA's elite club competition.
Yet a much-improved second-half display resulted in Antonio Conte's side getting the job done in style, through Lenglet's header and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's late finish.
It meant Spurs advanced as group winners for the third time in their Champions League history, and captain Lloris believes the team deserve plenty of credit for the comeback.
"We expected that type of game," Lloris told BT Sport. "We know the Velodrome is a very difficult place to deal with and I think we showed great personality.
"Clement scored a very important goal in France in front of the French people. He helped the team to get back on track. The second goal [from] Pierre is so important to confirm first spot in the group."
Lenglet's first Champions League goal since scoring for Barcelona against Napoli in August 2020 helped Spurs on their way, and the defender believes the poor first half was a consequence of being unsure whether to play on the front or back foot.
"We didn't play well during the first half, maybe because we didn't know if we needed to attack or defend," Lenglet commented.
"But after the first half, we speak in the locker room, we tell what we have to tell. We start the second half with much more personality, much more aggression to go to score and we play a very good second half."
Conte was absent from the touchline against Marseille after being banned for his reaction to Harry Kane's disallowed effort in Spurs' draw with Sporting CP last week. Had that goal counted, Tottenham would have had progression assured heading into the final matchday.
Marseille, meanwhile, appeared caught between two stalls after taking the lead. A draw would have been enough to see them through, due to their head-to-head record with Sporting, but as it is the Ligue 1 giants finished last in Group D.
Lloris believes that played into Spurs' hands, adding: "It was a tough night, a great battle.
"I think it was a more psychological battle because we could feel there was a team that was playing without fear to lose, it was Marseille. In the second half, we played a team that had the fear to lose because they were 1-0 up.
"It's a great result without our coach. Probably, it was even more difficult for him in the stand!"
Injury forces Militao out of Brazil's World Cup qualifiers
Eder Militao will miss Brazil's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru due to a thigh injury.
The defender, who also missed September's fixtures due to a leg injury, first felt some discomfort against Atletico Madrid on September 29.
Though he has featured for Real Madrid since, he flew out to Sao Paulo to undergo checks on the issue, where the national team confirmed the extent of the injury.
"[Militao] underwent tests this Sunday... which revealed a minor muscle injury in his left thigh that will prevent him from playing," the CBF said in a statement.
He is the second Madrid player to pull out of the Brazil squad, with Vinicius Junior also unfit to play after suffering a neck injury.
Brazil sit fifth in South America's qualification table after eight matches, with 10 points.
Hurzeler lauds Brighton comeback after finding missing confidence
Fabian Hurzeler insisted Brighton will always have setbacks as the German revelled in his side finding their "missing" confidence after Sunday's comeback victory over Tottenham.
Brighton were outclassed in the first half at the Amex Stadium as Brennan Johnson and James Maddison sent Spurs deservedly leading 2-0 into half-time.
Hurzeler's high line was once again punished at will by the visitors in that opening period, though Yankuba Minteh's blasted finish shortly after the break offered the home side hope.
Georginio Rutter swiftly followed Minteh's strike up with a fine goal of his own, before the former Leeds United man played a key part in the winner as his deflected cross found Danny Welbeck.
Questions appeared to be mounting on Hurzeler after a four-game winless run, though the 31-year-old silenced some of those doubts with this 3-2 comeback triumph.
"In the process, it is normal to have bad performances as the process is not linear, it's up-and-down, you have to accept these downs," the Brighton boss told Sky Sports after the game.
"You have to focus on your own quality and that is what I said to the team: focus on the process. That is how you react to bad performances."
When pressed on the confidence lacking in his team after their recent struggles, he added: "I think a little bit was missing. Being ruthless is the most important.
"In the duels we were not ruthless and if you win the personal duels and get the ball into the opponent's half you get self-confidence, that was the biggest change.
"I always say 'we have enough quality to always score' [but] it is always important to learn from the first half."
Rutter has now scored in back-to-back Premier League appearances, also netting against Chelsea, having failed to score in any of his first 15 outings in the competition across his spell with Leeds and now Brighton.
His individual exploits proved the difference in the second half, though the Frenchman insisted Brighton's comeback was more about battling than tactics.
"We are happy and stayed together like the coach said 'we have to believe'. That is what we do. We have three points so we're happy," Rutter said.
"What we said at half-time was 'it's not about tactics, it's about fighting'."
Welbeck scored his 27th Premier League goal for Brighton here, too, though it was just his second winning goal for the Seagulls, also netting what proved to be the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in September 2021.
The veteran attacker, who could have scored another in the first half from Kauro Mitoma's cross, echoed a similar sentiment to Rutter.
"In the first half we were bitterly disappointed and frustrated, the performance we put in was embarrassing," Welbeck said. "Nothing we want to be part of, but we showed our character.
"The attitude was right in the second half we came out and fought. We have got to give credit to the senior boys who are not on the pitch the likes, of Steely [Jason Steele] and Milner [James Milner], they told us the bare minimum is we've got to fight. Everyone is together in this.
"We want to be challenging the establishment like the management touched upon."
Postecoglou blasts 'worst defeat' of his tenure after Spurs collapse
A fuming Ange Postecoglou brandished Tottenham's collapse against Brighton as the nadir of his Premier League tenure after Sunday's 3-2 defeat.
Brennan Johnson's well-taken opener marked his sixth goal in as many games across all competitions before James Maddison's first-half finish had Spurs leading 2-0 at the break on the south coast.
However, Fabian Hurzeler's hosts managed a remarkable turnaround as Georginio Rutter levelled after Yankuba Minteh's strike, before Danny Welbeck completed a remarkable turnaround just past the hour.
It was just the second time that Tottenham lost a Premier League game they led by two goals in their last 166 such matches (W159 D5), and Postecoglou fumed at the full-time whistle.
The Tottenham manager said on Sky Sports: "Disappointing, frustrated and absolutely gutted with that. It's the worst defeat since I've been here.
"Unacceptable second half, and nowhere near where we should be. We got carried away with how we were going.
"We kind of accepted our fate [in the second half] and it is hard to understand as we've not done that while I've been here. We paid the price.
"The problem is we are travelling along too smoothly, football and life will trip you up if you get too far ahead of yourself."
Sunday also marked the 10th time that Tottenham have lost a Premier League game in which they led by two or more goals, becoming the first club to hit double figures for this unwanted record.
Though their second-half collapse may have some fans lamenting a typical Spurs performance, Postecoglou insists finding a solution remains solely on his shoulders.
"There is no message," the Australian said when asked what he would tell his players. "It is a terrible loss for us, as bad as it gets. There is only one way to fix it and that's my responsibility.
"We lost all our duels and if you're not competitive it is not going to work; we were not competitive.
"They all go on international duty the majority of them, they will process it individually and I will process it when everyone gets back."
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