JUVENTUS

JUVENTUS WIN 4-3 ON AGG FOR AN hour they were one of the best teams in Europe. By the end of the night, when Harry Kane’s header in the 90th minute bounced back off the post, they were just Tottenham again.

A team who promise so much, deserve so much, but never seem to come away with anything.

It is not for nothing that Juventus are Italian champions and regular participants in the Champions League final – somehow, the Old Lady always seems to find a way.

And just as two goals in seven minutes early in the first leg should have killed off Tottenham, in the end it was two in just three minutes of the second leg that finally did.

Spurs may take some beating, but the frustrating thing still for Mauricio Pochettino is that in these biggest games, his side still fall short.

Captain Hugo Lloris promised we would see the true “face of Tottenham” but we have always known that has been attractive, bright and youthful. It is the mind that whirrs away behind it that has always been called into question in its ultimate tests.

The psychological hurdle the Spurs players had to overcome last night was that, provided nothing happened between the first whistle and the last, they were in the next round courtesy of the away goals scored in Turin.

There, they were the battling underdogs, refusing to lie down. At Wembley, the tie was theirs to lose.

It was a night for leaders and, when Kane trapped the ball immaculately with his first real touch, turned Giorgio Chiellini inside out and then put Son HeungMin through for the opening salvo, you sensed Tottenham had a real chance.

In the early exchanges, it was the Juventus passing that looked hesitant – a sign that these occasions can also get to teams who have played in two of the last three Champions League finals.

Spurs, on the other hand, were growing quickly into their task, with Kane in particular putting a Juventus defence which switched between a four and a three at sixes and sevens.

But while he stayed on his feet to put a shot narrowly wide in the 15th minute, moments later Douglas Costa had Spurs’ hearts in their mouths when he went to ground under a challenge from Jan Vertonghen, but none of the Polish officials were moved.

No VAR last night, so Tottenham could count themselves lucky as the frantic pace continued.

Dele Alli had a tentative 25-yard shot easily saved and Son pulled a shot agonisingly wide when the Italian defence opened up in front of him.

And then Wembley erupted. After Kane’s sublime ball to Christian Eriksen, Alli was initially thwarted, but Kieran Trippier squared and though Son missed his kick with his right foot, the ball hit his left shin and squirmed past Gianluigi Buffon. Half-time was still six long minutes away, but eventually arrived. So far so good.

After a cagey start to the second period, Tottenham still looked in control and it was clear fresh legs were needed.

Blaise Matuidi, perhaps not as fit as Massimiliano Allegri claimed, made way for Kwadwo Asamoah and Stephan Lichtsteiner replaced the struggling Medhi Benatia. And, in the latter case, it worked instantly. In the 64th minute, the Spurs defence suddenly switched off and it was Lichtsteiner whose overlapping cross picked out Sami Khedira and his flick was bundled in by Gonzalo Higuain.

The Argentina forward punched the air – suddenly it was game on – and Tottenham had 30 minutes to show their strength.

Instead, within three minutes Juventus once again exposed their weakness.

Davinson Sanchez is still not quite the finished article at this level and he was drawn in and