Scoring in three minutes, Juventus beat Tottenham
The Serie A champions sent the first English representative out of the Champions League with a 2-1 win in the second leg of the round of 16 on the evening of March 7.
*Goals: Son 39' - Higuain 64', Dybala 67'.
Coming into Wembley with a 2-2 draw from the first leg, Juventus needed to score if they were to progress to the quarter-finals. However, they were at a huge disadvantage when Son Heung-min opened the scoring, giving Tottenham the lead after a dream first half. However, the "Old Lady"'s character once again helped them overcome the difficulties. Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala scored twice in three minutes, helping the Italian representatives win 4-3 on aggregate over two matches.
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Dybala scored the decisive goal, helping Juventus eliminate Tottenham from the Champions League. Photo: Reuters |
Tottenham started the match with enthusiasm, showing early signs of being one of the best teams in the Champions League group stage this year. In-form striker Son Heung-min continued to stir up the left wing, causing veteran defender Andrea Barzagli trouble every time he got the ball.
Son tested Gianluigi Buffon in the third minute, forcing the 40-year-old goalkeeper to dive to block his powerful shot. Juventus were denied a penalty when Douglas Costa was brought down by Jan Vertonghen in the box. The assistant referee stood close but did not award the visitors a free kick.
The danger of Tottenham's attacking trio of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son was shown midway through the first half. Receiving a clearance from Medhi Benatia, Alli volleyed from outside the box, forcing Buffon to dive to save.
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It is not easy to control Son at this time, even though Juventus has experienced defenders. Photo: AFP |
Minutes later, Son's speed and clever footwork allowed him to bypass another veteran of Juventus' defence, Giorgio Chiellini. However, the South Korean striker's subsequent left-footed shot went just wide of the goal.
Son finally got his goal when he was in the right place to meet Kieran Trippier's cross. Christian Eriksen had played a clever through ball to Alli, forcing Barzagli out of position on the left wing to stop the Tottenham midfielder from finishing. Son ended up scoring alone, beating Buffon as the Juventus goalkeeper dived after Eriksen's missed shot.
Max Allegri said before the game that he could play Higuain, Dybala and Costa together. The Juventus coach did so at Wembley but his 4-3-3 formation seemed ineffective. In the second half, Allegri replaced Kwadwo Asamoah and Stephan Lichtsteiner, instructing his players to switch to a 4-4-2. With this formation, Higuain and Dybala's abilities are optimized.
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Tottenham once again paid the price for their immaturity in the Champions League. Photo: AFP |
Juventus equalised from an attack down the right. Lichtsteiner crossed and Mauricio Pochettino could only sigh as his player let Sami Khedira receive the ball unmarked. The German midfielder then headed the ball for Higuain to tap into the net.
Before Tottenham could recover from the loss, they conceded another goal. Davinson Sanchez advanced to close in on Higuain but the Argentine turned around and sent a through ball to Dybala. The Juventus striker gave Trippier a taste of the game before unleashing a decisive shot that beat Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham struggled in the remaining minutes. Pochettino brought on Erik Lamela but chances fell to them as Buffon and Chiellini made precise saves. Fernando Llorente was brought on for Alli but Juventus' experienced back four stood firm.
Kane was silent and sadly watched his team leave the Champions League. This was a regrettable defeat for Tottenham when they seemed to have secured the ticket to the next round. However, Juventus' experience and partly Tottenham's habit of lacking courage at decisive moments decided the outcome of this match.