Juventus comeback condemns wasteful Tottenham
Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala scored twice inside three minutes as Juventus stunned Tottenham with a second-half fightback to reach the Champions League quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory in London yesterday.
While Juventus collapsed in the first leg to draw 2-2, it was Tottenham’s turn at Wembley Stadium to throw away a winning position and go out with a 4-3 aggregate loss.
When Son Heung-min capped a dominant first half for Tottenham with a goal, it should have been a platform to build on for a team without a domestic league title in 57 years against one that’s won the last six Serie A titles.
But a pair of substitutions and a tactical shift – from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 – by Massimiliano Allegri transformed the last-16 match.
It was pair of Argentines that ended the hopes of compatriot Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham manager.
Higuain struck from close range in the 64th minute and then created the winner, holding off three Tottenham players before feeding Dybala to net his first Champions League goal of the season.
From a position of strength, this was a capitulation stemming from a loss of concentration and composure by the hosts.
‘‘We conceded three chances and they scored twice,’’ Pochettino said. ‘‘I am disappointed because we missed a lot of chances and because the team deserved more.’’
There was one chance to force the game into extra time in the 90th. Harry Kane’s header hit the post and the ball crept across Gianluigi Buffon’s goal line before being hooked clear by Andrea Barzagli.
‘‘It’s the history of Tottenham,’’ Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini said.
‘‘They always create many chances to score . . . but at the end they miss something.’’
For Tottenham, who beat holder Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, there would be no third European Cup quarterfinal in their history. Instead Pochettino’s side became the first English side to be eliminated in the Champions League this season.
A day after Liverpool ousted Porto, Manchester City advanced yesterday with a 5-2 victory over Basel despite losing 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.