The goal that broke Spurs hearts
Juventus stage double-quick fightback to stun Wembley and end dream for Pochettino
Lads, as sir alex Ferguson famously remarked, it’s Tottenham. and we all know what that means. disappointment. Frustration. Underachievement. Just when it’s won, it’s lost. Why should this Champions League campaign be any different to some very recent history?
Meaning, just as Tottenham’s excellent title challenges suffer inexplicable derailments at crucial moments, so a Champions League tie that looked to be well in hand suddenly reared up and savaged them.
From the quarter-finals to the ranks of the also-rans took all of two minutes and 49 seconds and this time there was no heroic fightback. Tottenham were looking good, 1-0 up on the night, 3-2 ahead on aggregate. son Heungmin had scored his 14th Wembley goal this season — of 16 in total — and all was right in the world.
Then it all went a little, as the saying goes, spursy. Juventus, having barely threatened all night aside from a travesty of a rejected penalty, scored an equaliser.
Tottenham were still progressing on away goals, though. all they had to do was stay calm and — oh, Juventus scored again. suddenly a familiar feeling of dread descended.
Just as it had when title momentum went down the tubes at Upton Park the year they were supposed to be coming for Leicester.
Just as it had when Chelsea scored four against them in an Fa Cup semi-final here last year. Tottenham play football that should win trophies, without actually winning trophies.
Mauricio Pochettino had spoken of a Champions League campaign that has got Europe talking about his team, but who remembers the clubs that exit at the first knockout stage? Tottenham put down some markers in the group, sure, but this is where Europe’s elite are judged. Can you do it without stabilisers, without a safety net?
Juventus had to score two away from home in the second half and delivered. Tottenham had to hold a lead and couldn’t. That will be noticed, you can be certain.
They went deeper into this tournament under Harry Redknapp and beat the best team in Italy at this stage, too.
It will be argued experience was the key, just as it was when Real Madrid met Paris saint-Germain. Certainly, having reached two of the last three finals, Juventus know the course and distance.
They had three times as many Champions League appearances in their starting line- up as Tottenham but it was about more than just that. Tottenham have to be better under the pressure of the marquee match if they have ambitions to one day win this tournament, or any tournament under Pochettino.
By the time the last 16 is reached, the level of the best teams is extraordinary.
Tottenham did not defend badly for 90 per cent of the game.
They were undone by momentary lapses, missed chances from son, a split-second loss of focus at the back, but that is how these encounters are decided. Juventus needed two goals, got two chances, scored them and went home.
son could have been the hero but he ended up as one of the culprits. He was excellent in the first half, lively, positive in intent, but with hindsight his wastefulness cost. His first goal could have been his hattrick with more composure, starting in the third minute when excellent hold-up play from Harry Kane put him through, forcing a fine save from Gianluigi Buffon. In the 38th minute, son was sent speeding away down the left by Ben davies, drawing his man but screwing his shot wide across the face of goal. That didn’t seem to matter when he opened the scoring for Tottenham a minute later. dele alli and Kane were involved
in the build-up, but the killer pass was played, as it has been so often this season, by Kieran Trippier from deep on the right. First time, too, as is his trademark, catching Juventus’ back line in recovery mode.
Son was the spare man and lucked out, scuffing his shot only to see it spin past Buffon and into the net. Juventus now needed two goals and waited for an opportunity. After 64 minutes it came.
Gonzalo Higuain had been largely anonymous but Juventus responded to some attacking changes made by coach Massimiliano Allegri. Substitute Stephan Lichtsteiner sped down the right and clipped in a cross that was headed towards the far post by Sami Khedira.
No Tottenham player occupied that space, so Higuain entered and turned the ball in on the volley, leaving Hugo Lloris rooted.
At 1-1, Tottenham would still have progressed on away goals. The mood had changed, though. Juventus sensed the kill, Tottenham sensed, well, whatever they sense in these situations. Impending calamity, maybe.
Soon, it arrived. Davinson Sanchez had played well to that point but he was turned quite spectacularly by Higuain, who slipped the ball through to Paulo Dybala, now haring on goal with only Lloris to beat. He made no mistake and Juventus held their nerve even when a Kane header hit the inside of a post on 90 minutes.
They saw the game out in a way Tottenham simply could not. Don’t call them lucky, though. It wasn’t luck. Indeed, in defeat, Juventus would have claimed they were the unfortunate ones.
They had a penalty when Jan Vertonghen took out Douglas Costa after 17 minutes. Rock solid. No question. Even Vertonghen knew because he is not that good an actor and his protestations of innocence were unconvincing.
The only folk in denial were match official Szymon Marciniak and his many, many assistants — particularly the bump on a log behind the goal. Juventus winger Costa as good as landed in a heap at his feet.
Marciniak waved play on, his little helper stared mutely ahead. Juventus raged. Where do they get these people from? Poland, in the case of last night’s officials, meaning they won’t have had a whole lot of experience in front of 80,000-capacity club crowds.
Costa did not even get a chance to exaggerate his fall. VAR cannot come quickly enough for officials as eagle-eyed as this.