Juve's Higuain defends himself after Champions League tie

Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain on Wednesday dismissed criticism from fans after he missed a crucial penalty in his team's Champions League pre-quarter-final first leg at home against London fotball club Tottenham Hotspur, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Higuain started out strong, putting two goals past Tottenham in the first nine minutes of the match on Tuesday. He later sent a penalty on to the crossbar and straight into the crowd, triggering a slew of fan criticism on social media, reports Efe.

"It's easy to talk after the match from your couch at home," he wrote on his official Instagram account, adding: "Until 2-0 everything was perfect, after 2-2 opinions changed. We are not interested in them and we're going to London to qualify."

The draw at the Allianz Stadium gives Tottenham away goals advantage in their second leg, slated for March 7 at Wembley Stadium.

--IANS

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