Spurs Opinion: Dele Alli was one of the architects of the remarkable comeback at Ajax alongside star man Lucas Moura
It was incredible scenes at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on Wednesday night, as Spurs produced a miraculous comeback to stun Ajax 3-2 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals to progress to the finals on the virtue of away goals rule.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side set up an all-English showdown with Liverpool in the final scheduled to be held at the Wanda Metropolitano on the 1st of June.
Tottenham’s remarkable comeback sparked by Lucas Moura’s second-half hat-trick ensured that the Champions League final was going to be contested between two English teams for the first time since 2007-08 when Man United beat Chelsea on penalties in the finals at Moscow to lift the cup.
Spurs needed to be at their best to give themselves a chance of halting Ajax’s fairytale run in the Champions League and it was always going to be an uphill task for them to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
Away from home in front of a hostile crowd at the Amsterdam Arena and without the services of Harry Kane, Spurs faced an overly tough challenge, which was made a near-impossible one by first-half goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech.
The Lilywhites looked rattled against an energetic and hungry Ajax side, who showed plenty of desire and determination to press their opposition off the ball. Kieran Trippier’s nightmarish outing at the back allowed the home side plenty of joy and the tie looked all but sealed even before half-time, with Ajax leading 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.
However, things took a complete U-turn in the second half. Spurs managed to pull their socks up and came out with a point to prove, showing more intent and purpose in the first 15 minutes after the interval to bring the tie back to life.
Lucas Moura’s quickfire brace in a space of just three minutes prior to the hour mark allowed Spurs to draw level on the night, though Ajax still had a 3-2 lead on aggregate.
Hakim Ziyech had multiple opportunities to put the tie to bed but the Moroccan hit the post once and fired his shot agonisingly wide on another occasion, while Hugo Lloris produced a sharp save to keep out his third attempt.
As the game wore on, it looked as if Ajax were going to make it to the finals, despite Spurs putting up a brave fight, but Moura completed his hat-trick in the 96th minute to put his name down in the history books of the competition.
The Brazilian’s stoppage-time heroics should endear him to the hearts of the fans at north London and few can deny that he has been a key contributor for Spurs with his goals and assists.
Well, it was Moura, who was the undisputed star in Spurs’ remarkable comeback, but in all honesty, Spurs stepped their game up as a team in the second half and managed to pull the rabbit out of the hat.
While Moura was the star of the show, Dele Alli’s contribution throughout the game should also be recognised, as the Englishman was not only the provider on two occasions but he was arguably Spurs’ most influential presence in the midfield alongside Eriksen.
Going back to the first half, Alli created a gilt-edged chance for Heung-min Son with a delightful pass, only for the Korean to fire his shot straight at the goalkeeper. Alli himself should have scored in the first half when Eriksen played him into a great position but he scuffed his finish and the chance went begging.
In the second half, prior to Lucas Moura’s goals before the hour mark, it was Alli, who had the first real chance to get Spurs back into the game. Eriksen once again played him in behind the backline but Alli’s effort was kept out by a fine save from Andre Onana.
Alli, though, finally made amends to set up Moura’s first goal when he danced his way through the defenders to lay the ball in the Brazilian’s path. And he also bagged the assist for Moura’s injury-time winner, setting the Brazilian up with a slick pass after Llorente had flicked it on.
The 23-year-old registered a total of 29 passes at an accuracy percentage of 76.3, including 2 assists, 2 dribbles and 4 key passes, while winning 7 out of 21 duels on the night. Defensively, he was no slouch either, registering 2 key tackles. He did miss a chance in the first half, but barring that, he was absolutely phenomenal.
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Spurs next play host to Everton in the final match week of the Premier League on Sunday and Mauricio Pochettino’s side will head into the game high on confidence after this remarkable performance.
