Juventus stun Tottenham
London, March 8: There is simply no substitute for experience in the highest tier of European football as Juventus proved by coming back from the abyss to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The Italians, finalists in two of the last three seasons, were outplayed by Spurs in a 2-2 first-leg draw in Turin and were on the ropes at Wembley but goals by Argentine strike duo Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala in three minutes sent them through 4-3 on aggregate.
Son Heung-min’s first-half goal had Spurs in control and dreaming of a famous scalp but they paid for two defensive lapses as their 17match unbeaten run came to an end.
Higuain, who scored twice in the first leg, levelled in the 64th minute before Dybala burst clear of a static Spurs defensive line to curl the winner past Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham will rue missed chances and Harry Kane’s last-minute header against the post but Massimiliano Allegri’s streetwise Juve side proved they are still one of the toughest of European nuts to crack.
“In less than three minutes we conceded two goals — two big mistakes — and that is why we are out,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. MAN CITY IN LAST-8
DESPITE LOSS Manchester City advanced to the quarter-finals despite suffering their first home loss in over a year, going through 5-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 defeat by Swiss champions Basel.
City won the first leg 4-0 and unsurprisingly their manager Pep Guardiola chose to leave key players on the bench with none of Kevin de Bruyne, Sergio Aguero or Ederson featuring in the game.
With David Silva also missing and veteran Yaya Toure in midfield, City lacked the zip and fluency that has characterised their play this season.
The evening began positively for City, unbeaten in their last 12 Champions League home matches, when Gabriel Jesus put them ahead in the eighth minute. It seemed like another comfortable City win could be on the cards but Basel were determined to restore some pride.
The visitors drew level nine minutes after Jesus’ goal when Mohamed Elyounoussi buried the ball in the bottom corner with a well-struck effort from just inside the area. Basel’s endeavours were rewarded in the 72nd minute when, after superb work from Elyounoussi, Michael Lang blasted past Claudio Bravo at the near post.