Poch living the scream
Juve’s deadly 3-minute burst
ON the eve of a landmark game in his career, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino declared himself a dreamer.
It might have been fate that a nightmare awaited – one which played out in less than three minutes of this match.
It wasn’t fate of course. It was 169 seconds when concentration fled and anxiety gripped.
For the opening nine minutes of the first leg Spurs were second best. For a third of that time here they were second best. That’s all.
Yet thanks to second-half strikes from Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala, they are out of the Champions League. They really have snatched an exit from the jaws of the entrance.
Pochettino said: “In less than three minutes we conceded two goals. But we deserved more. We played fantastic football until that first goal and we dominated.
“It is clear we deserved a lot more but in football it is not about deserving, you have to score goals and not concede.
“They only came to our goal two or three times but they have quality so if you make a mistake they will score. But it was positive for the future. You need this type of game to build you as a player to compete at this level.”
Spurs had Juventus on the ropes from the start with Heung-Min Son leading the way – his directness unnerving Juventus.
Likewise Harry Kane who was made to look quick by the lumbering Giorgio Chiellini.
For all their fabled stinginess, the Italians were defending with all the non-sophistication of, well, the English.
Andrea Barzagli was reduced to a double tread on Son at one point. That was not spotted by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak but then again, not much was.
And the official’s failure to award a penalty after Jan Vertonghen fouled Douglas Costa was one of the worst refereeing calls imaginable.
And such was Spurs’ vibrancy it was always likely insult was going to be added to Juve’s official-inflicted injury. And it was when Kieran Trippier’s cross was met by Son’s scuffed effort which put the home side ahead after 39 minutes.
Juve anger was directed at Marciniak at half-time but they had been outplayed. It was up to them to change that and they did just that. The vibrancy dis-appeared to be replaced with an edginess and at times in a disastrous period of play Spurs looked rigid with fear.
They were certainly rigid when Sami Kehdira looped a header on to the boot of Higuain, who converted from close range in the 64th minute.
And what they were up to when Higuain took possession and threaded a pass for Dybala to make it 2-1 is anybody’s guess.
The only thing the home defence could not take the blame for was Dybala’s finish above and beyond Hugo Lloris.
A late surge saw a Kane header hit the inside of the post before being hacked off the line by Barzagli. It was the moment that confirmed Pochettino’s dream had become a nightmare.