46 Friday Sports Friday, May 10, 2019 Pochettino leads Spurs to pinnacle after years of pain AMSTERDAM: Seemingly already down and four and the 1st of June in Madrid playing the out of the Champions League back in October, final against Liverpool. and at risk of missing out on next season’s com- “I think this amazing season in our new home petition during a recent slump in results, now and this chapter that we are going to close now Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham Hotspur find — to close the chapter playing a final, and if we themselves, improbably, through to the final. “No win, it would be an amazing book.” Doubts were pain, no gain” was the phrase an emotional raised about Tottenham’s capacity to maintain a Pochettino used after Wednesday’s stirring challenge at home, never mind abroad, after they comeback to beat Ajax 3-2 in the second leg of failed to make any new signings last summer their semi-final in Amsterdam, a Lucas Moura while so many of their leading players had been hat-trick taking Spurs through on away goals. involved at the World Cup to the end. But, he added, reverting to Spanish, “it was all Indeed, Lucas remains their last new signing, worth it” with an all-English showdown against bought from Paris Saint-Germain in January Liverpool to come in the biggest club game of all 2018. They lost their first two Champions in Madrid on June 1, just two months after the League group games and, after a 2-2 draw at opening of a new stadium which Spurs had been PSV Eindhoven left them with one point from hoping would propel them to the next level. nine, they seemed dead and buried. However, When Pochettino spoke of “pain”, he was not they scraped through, then ousted Borussia simply referring to this season, but to the five Dortmund, edged out Manchester City in an years since he arrived in north London from epic quarter-final, and now they have beaten Southampton, a period in which he has fought to Ajax, coming back from 3-0 down on aggregate establish Spurs as a top-four force in the Premier and with their talisman, Harry Kane, out injured. League and regulars in the Champions League. “This year has been crazy — and not just for us In England, the phrase “to do a Spurs” was — but already after three matches in the group AMSTERDAM: Tottenham’s Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino and players of Tottenham Hot- never a good thing, but that has changed. “To stage we were practically eliminated and now spur jubilate after winning the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg football match have brought the club to the final of the Cham- we find ourselves in the final,” said goalkeeper between Ajax Amsterdam and Tottenham Hotspur at the Johan Cruyff Arena. — AFP pions League is very close to a miracle,” Pochet- Hugo Lloris. tino said at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Wednesday. Endless possibilities firmation of their new status as one of the game’s League, just behind bitter rivals Arsenal, with “No-one believed in us at the beginning of Spurs’ achievement has certainly come leading powers. They climbed into the top 10 of revenue of 428.3 million euros (£369m, $479m) the season, we are so close, almost in the top against the odds, but at the same time it is a con- the most recent Deloitte Football Money last year. — AFP Ajax let their lead slip away. Bart Vlietstra in ‘The fairytale Volkskrant said that “the fairytale ended for Johan Cruyff Arena befitting of the late Dutch Ajax in sight of the final”, blaming a “tsunami Lucas Moura, great. “They are all heroes but Lucas was a ends’: Dutch of attack waves” by Tottenham. However he super-hero. Unbelievable hat-trick. He de- said that “Ajax can look back on a great Eu- from PSG serves it, he is a great guy,” a tearful Pochettino mourn loss ropean campaign, one of the most awesome in said after Tottenham’s 3-2 win in Amsterdam the club’s history” — and one that could cast-off to set up a June 1 final with fellow comeback scarcely have been dreamed about at the start kings Liverpool. of the season. THE HAGUE: Dutch media yesterday “There was nothing good about Ajax, just Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen lamented the “insane ending” to Ajax’s im- Tottenham idol even called for a statue of Lucas, who dragged a year ago,” wrote Vlietstra, with the team probable Champions League campaign after having to go through qualifying to play in the Spurs back from the brink with what were re- Tottenham’s last minute semi-final win. News- markably his first Champions League knockout Champions League, the Dutch Eredivisie papers sought the positives in the Amsterdam having lost its automatic spot. The NRC PARIS: Rejected by Paris Saint-Germain after goals. Ajax, 1-0 winners in London, appeared team’s return to the front rank of European newspaper said that the “dream exploded in the world-record signing of Neymar, Lucas home and dry after surging a further two goals football after wins over giants Juventus and the final minutes” but said that the result Moura propelled Tottenham to heights the clear in the return leg, but Lucas had other Real Madrid, but were overwhelmed by the should be put into a “broader context”. French giants could only dream of Wednesday ideas with a quickfire double on the hour. heartbreak of the loss. Writer Bart Hinke said that assumptions that by single-handedly firing Spurs into a first That gave Spurs hope but they were still Several papers carried the iconic image of a Dutch club had nothing to expect from the Champions League final. With his side seem- heading out until Lucas squeezed a low shot Ajax players in their red and white jerseys Champions League “even with the outcome ingly down and out, trailing 2-0 on the night beyond Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana in the stretched out in despair on the grass after that followed Wednesday evening, can be put and 3-0 on aggregate, Lucas produced a ca- 96th minute to earn his place in Tottenham Spurs’ Lucas Moura sealed a last-gasp hat- into the trash.” reer-defining performance as his stunning sec- folklore. “Football gives us moments like this trick to win 3-2 on the night. That put Spurs “Johan Cruyff should have experienced ond-half hat-trick engineered the latest that we cannot imagine,” said Lucas. “We need through on away goals following a 3-3 aggre- this,” he wrote, referring to the legendary jaw-dropping Champions League comeback to enjoy it. Look at me — it’s the best moment gate result. De Telegraaf newspaper screamed player and coach whose name the Ajax sta- to send Spurs through on away goals. in my life, my career. “It’s impossible to explain the front-page headline “Disappointment” dium now bears. The question now is what be- Yet scarcely 18 months ago, he was at a what I am feeling. I am very, very happy and while Volkskrant newspaper said “Just No”, comes of a squad that, created with a particularly low ebb after finding himself frozen proud of my teammates. “We always believed with both running photos of Moroccan player successful youth academy and clever recruit- out in Paris despite five trophy-laden years at in this moment, that it was possible. We gave Hakim Ziyech. ment, is now set to lose key players to giants the club. Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham everything and deserved this moment. We are “After the heyday in the seventies and like Barcelona over the summer. Dutch papers offered the Brazilian an escape route in Janu- a family. It’s impossible to explain — impossi- nineties, Ajax is surfing on a new wave of suc- also worried that the Ajax campaign may be a ary 2018, and Lucas is close to making good ble.” He became just the fifth player to score a cess,” Daniel Dwarswaard wrote in the Alge- false dawn, noting the gulf with lower placed on his promise to take the club to the very top. hat-trick in a Champions League semi-final, meen Dagblad newspaper. “But the crown on teams including PSV Eindhoven and Feyeno- Upon his arrival in North London, he said: after Alessandro Del Piero, Ivica Olic, Robert the work is not there. It will feel like an ex- ord, and the shame of the national side’s failure “I think the team is very, very strong. We can Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo. Billed at tremely missed opportunity forever, and scar to make the 2016 Euros and 2018 World Cup. win a lot of things and why not the Champions his PSG unveiling as a talent on par with Ney- for years,” he added. “An insane ending ruined “The question then is: has the Dutch football League?” Just over a year on and Spurs are mar, Lucas left France without truly fulfilling his everything.” crisis now been tackled? That seems a some- one win away from becoming European cham- potential, but he has now shown their loss is Many newspapers used the same language what premature conclusion,” wrote Jan-Cees pions after Lucas conjured up a display at the very much Tottenham’s gain. — AFP to describe the “buttock-clenching” tension as Butter in Trouw newspaper. — AFP .