When everything changed, there were abruptly seven, eight, possibly even nine Ajax players flat out on the pitch, their faces buried into the turf, not wanting to see any more. Somehow, Spurs had done it and in those moments we were reminded, once again, about the glories of this mutant, about how brutal football can be and how, every once in a while, there is a report that can make your bones thrill. We have had two of them in flying succession yield in mind Liverpool ’ s destruction of Barcelona the previous night. It will be an all-Premier League final examination in Madrid on 1 June and when Lucas Moura completed his hat-trick, five minutes into blockage time, it was one of those rare occasions for every individual member of the Spurs travelling party when it must have felt like the rake in their veins had been converted into the finest of red wine. abruptly, there were players, coaches, substitutes and versatile members of backroom staff running across the pitch in erose aslant lines to join in the scrum beneath the away end.

As etiquette goes, it was evocative of America ’ s Ryder Cup players trampling over the seventeenth green at Brookline in 1999. Yet, amid all the euphoria, possibly the boys from White Hart Lane, as most of us would still rather call it, could be forgiven for overlooking that the plot was inactive not, strictly speaking, over. There was silent a minute to play before everything was confirmed and the Spurs fans in that far corner could start trying to make sense of a baffle, beautiful victory, having seen their team come back from 2-0 down on the night and 3-0 on sum. Or, to put it another manner, a place where there no longer seemed to be any lingering hope .Mauricio Pochettino leads the post-match celebrations. Mauricio Pochettino leads the post-match celebrations. Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images Until the ball came the way of Moura in stop time, it was shaping up to be a night of dangerous disappointment for Mauricio Pochettino and his players. They had clawed their way second to 2-2 but Ajax were still ahead on aggregate and, with the clock ticking down, it had seemed as though the team wearing the Premier League ’ south badge would leave Amsterdam with so many what-ifs. What if Jan Vertonghen ’ s 87th-minute header had gone in rather than thudding off the crossbar ? What if they had started better rather than letting Ajax build that first-half lead ? What if Harry Kane had been fit, preferably than watching the game in a coat, when the team needed one more goal to change everything ? But then the clock ticked into the 96th hour and suddenly the ball was on Moura ’ s left foot. Again, Dele Alli, who chose an ideal night to rediscover his best phase, had set him up. It was their concluding find of an epic, lyrical night. And the ball was with the correct musician. All night, Moura had given the stamp he was absolutely determined cipher would end up blaming it all on Kane ’ s absence. Moura had already scored twice for Spurs in the second base half and those goals, in the 55th and 59th minutes, changed the complexion of the even. It was a brilliantly gutsy recovery and when Spurs needed a bite of fortune they got that, besides, in the form of Hakim Ziyech ’ s shoot ricocheting off the post .Mauricio Pochettino credits Spurs 'superheroes' for Champions League triumph over Ajax – video 02:51 Mauricio Pochettino credits Spurs ‘superheroes ‘ for Champions League triumph over Ajax – video Pochettino had brought on Fernando Llorente to replace Victor Wanyama at the interval. Spurs had gambled and, for the first time, they started to pin back their opponents. Ajax were sitting on their lead and it was a mistake. It encouraged Spurs to pour advancing. Moura put in his first finish, running through the middle to drill in a left-foot shoot, and on the spur of the moment their hopes were invigorated. Quick Guide

Tottenham v Liverpool: the Champions League final

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The venue: Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid (Saturday 1 June, 8pm) A new venue for the Champions League collector’s item and it hosts the first gear final examination since 2015 not to feature at least one Madrid team. Atlético spent around £200m overhauling the 20,000 capacity Estadio La Peineta in the Las Rojas neighborhood before moving in September 2017. It will hold 63,500 for the final, with 17,000 tickets allocated to each club. demolition of Atlético ’ s former home, the Vicente Calderón stadium, began in February. This season’s meetings Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool ( 15 Sept, Wembley) Liverpool made it five wins out of five at the begin of the temper with a deserve victory. Goals came from Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino either english of the transgress before Erik Lamela ’ sulfur consolation in arrest time. Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham ( 31 March, Anfield) Last-gasp drama as the match headed for a draw : Toby Alderweireld prodded the ball into his own net to hand Liverpool a full of life three points after Lucas Moura ’ s second-half effort had cancelled out Firmino ’ s early strike. The history It will be the irregular all-English final after Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow 11 years ago. Liverpool have won the european Cup five times : 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and most recently under Rafael Benítez in 2005. A one-sixth win would lift them to third behind real Madrid ( 13 wins ) and Milan ( seven ). Tottenham have reached their first european Cup final examination in their fifth political campaign. They won the Cup Winners ’ Cup in 1963 and Uefa Cup in 1972 and 1984. Routes to the final  Tottenham Group B  Inter ( a ) L 2-1, Barcelona ( hydrogen ) L 2-4, PSV ( a ) D 2-2, PSV ( henry ) W2-1, Inter ( planck’s constant ) W 1-0, Barcelona ( a ) D 1-1 Qualified: Barcelona 14pts, Tottenham 8pts Last 16

Borussia Dortmund ( hydrogen ) W3-0, ( a ) D1-1 Quarter-final Man City ( heat content ) W 1-0, ( a ) L 4-3 Semi-final Ajax ( hydrogen ) L 0-1, ( a ) W 3-2 Liverpool Group C PSG ( planck’s constant ) W 3-2, Napoli  ( a ) L 1-0, Red Star ( henry ) W 4-0, Red Star ( a ) L 2-0, PSG ( a ) L 2-1, Napoli ( planck’s constant ) W 1-0 Qualified: PSG 9pts, Liverpool 9pts Last 16 Bayern Munich ( planck’s constant ) D 0-0, ( a ) W 1-3 Quarter-final Porto  ( heat content ) W 2-0, ( a ) W 1-4 Semi-final Barcelona ( a ) L 3-0, ( h ) W 4-0 Compiled by Benjy Nurick
photograph : Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images Europe Was this helpful ? Thank you for your feedback. The future one came four minutes belated after André Onana, Ajax ’ s goalkeeper, had kept out Llorente ’ s attempt from blunt stove. Moura was cursorily on to the loose ball, eluding a copulate of challenges, despite the close proximity of several defenders, and somehow finding a col in which to fire the ball through a heavily congested six-yard area. More promise, again. All of which felt markedly different to a first half in which Matthijs de Ligt headed in a corner after only four minutes and Ziyech lashed in a solidus left-foot shoot to make it 2-0 and leave Spurs contemplating an ordeal in the make. Time and again, the question has been asked about whether this team can go up to the adjacent flat. The testify of that open half suggested they had come up short-circuit again .Hakim Ziyech lashes in Ajax’s second to leave Tottenham needing a miracle. Hakim Ziyech lashes in Ajax ’ s second to leave Tottenham needing a miracle. Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/REX/Shutterstock In those moments Ajax ’ s most boisterous supporters behind Onana ’ second goal, standing bare-chested behind their drums and their ‘ F-Side ‘ banners, could have been forgiven for wondering whether the strategically placed flags beneath the roof of the stadium, showing all the club ’ sulfur trophies in club, year by class, might be getting a fresh addition. David Neres had been injured during the warm-up, meaning a careen in personnel for Ajax in which Dusan Tadic took over on the impart, Kasper Dolberg was promoted from the terrace to lead the attack and Ziyech switched to the right. Tadic, in particular, was a dangerous opponent and Kieran Trippier had a hard time restraining him during that opening 45 minutes, in keeping with what has been a difficult temper for one of the key players in England ’ south World Cup adventures. Spurs had to improve and in paleness to Trippier, who had lost De Ligt for the first goal, he managed to shake the first step half out of his arrangement. They all did. Llorente ’ mho introduction gave the Ajax defenders a new problem. Spurs had Son Heung-min back from suspension and that gave the team flush more energy in assail, particularly taking into account the focal ratio and candor of Moura. Danny Rose started to push ahead more from his left-back spot. christian Eriksen ’ s influence grew and, though there were still dangerous moments, that was always going to be the case .Emotional Lucas Moura reacts to replay of his match-winning goal against Ajax – video 01:45 emotional Lucas Moura reacts to replay of his match-winning goal against Ajax – video

Another team might have crumpled after the struggles of the inaugural half. possibly Spurs were emboldened by the memories of what they did to Manchester City in the quarter-finals. possibly they had seen the miracle of Liverpool knocking the crown off a Barcelona side that likes to see itself as football royalty. Whatever the reasons – and, more than anything, it was competitive courage – Spurs are going to their first-ever european Cup final. There was even an encore, 45 minutes or indeed after the final whistle, as Pochettino and his players headed back out for a team photograph on the sales talk. Moura had already taken the match-ball as a keepsake and, as he turned back to had to the burrow, his teammates broke out in applause. One by one, all of them, clapping him as he went .