Mauricio Pochettino broke down in tears as the final whistle went. Spurs had done it. A 96th minute winner courtesy of Lucas Moura was enough for Spurs to go through 3-3 on aggregate meaning they went through on away goals.
An unbelievable second half performance saw Spurs come back from 2-0 down at halftime to win 3-2 thanks to a Lucas Moura hat-trick. After a thrilling night at Anfield which saw Liverpool beat Barcelona 4-0 no one was expecting to see a spectacle that could match it, but in the Amsterdam Arena here was one of the greatest Champions League comebacks ever.
All of which was just too much for Pochettino who had to hide away in the tunnel to take control of his emotions before he faced the media.
“Still difficult to talk. Emotion is amazing, thank you football, Thank you these guys, they are heroes. In the last year I am telling everyone I have a group that are heroes and they showed today big balls.” Pochettino said.
Second half was amazing, thank you football. This type of emotion is impossible without football. Thank you to the fans, those who believed in us and to achieve this is fantastic. It’s hard to describe in words.
‘We were talking before the game that when you work and when you feel the love, it’s not a stress it’s a passion. We showed that tonight. I think in the game against City and today it is amazing.
‘It was a joy to watch this type of game, difficult for Ajax, to compete at this level in this competition this can happen and I am so grateful to be a coach, to be in football and living this moment.’
When asked about match winner and hat-trick hero Lucas Moura, Pochettino was full of praise for his performance and for his character.
Superhero for [Lucas] Moura. Unbelievable hat-trick. He deserves it, he’s a great guy. Everyone deserves it for all the tough moments we’ve been through over the five years.
‘The chance to play in a final, it is for my family, for all the people who supported us in that moment. It is amazing. Thank you and we now need to be ready for Sunday and then prepare for the final in Madrid.’Embed from Getty Images
Tottenham Hotspurs will take on Liverpool in the Champions League final in Spain on the 1 June 2019.
