No one expected it again.
After the heroics at Anfield on Tuesday night, where Liverpool scored a late, late fourth to secure a 4-3 aggregate victory over Barcelona and seal a place in the Champions League final on June 1, most people expected that to be the height of the European drama this week.
How, exactly, do you trump a comeback from 3-0 down? It’s impossible. Or at least that’s what we thought before the 55th minute of Tottenham Hotspur’s game against Ajax at the Johann Cruyff Arena on Wednesday.
2-0 down on the night, 3-0 down on aggregate, 35 minutes to go; Spurs looked dead to the world. The Brazilian attacker Lucas Moura stepped up and within the space of 42 minutes (including seven minutes of added time) altered the trajectory of Tottenham’s season.
His last goal, in particular, was sensational, partly down to the fact of how messy the whole thing was.
Tottenham play a certain fast-paced style of football, but this was route one again and again. The ball was lumped up, headed and flicked on, Moura reached it and sent a left-footed shot past Ajax keeper Onana into the bottom corner.
It was sensational and the BT Sport punditry team clearly felt the same, judging by the channel No Filter UCL cameras which captured Gary Lineker, Rio Ferdinand and Glenn Hoddle watching the game in the studio.
The three former players erupted in delirious and awestruck celebration as the Brazilian’s goal went in, with Ferdinand holding onto and almost pushing Hoddle out of the studio shot.
He regains his composure, at which point Ferdinand jokingly felt his chest to make whether Hoddle’s (who suffered a heart attack in October last year) heart was okay.
It was, and all three continued with their gobsmacked reactions.
Glenn, Are you ok…are you ok ❤😂 #Spurs #UCL #NoFilterUCL pic.twitter.com/28ue4xkECY
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) May 9, 2019
