Ajax vs Tottenham: Key takeaways from the Champions League encounter
It was another frantic night of Champions League football. The tournament has gone on to earn a name in terms of teams scripting magnificent comebacks in recent times. After Liverpool's extraordinary feat, this time fellow English club Tottenham Hotspur put in a commendable shift to stun Dutch team Ajax. Spurs sealed the semi-final on away goals. Here are key takeaways from the UCL encounter.
Ajax do everything right in the first half
Ajax went into this game with a 1-0 lead and the side needed a swift start to take charge. The young Ajax players didn't disappoint as teenager Matthijs de Ligt scored from a header in the fifth minute. Hakim Ziyech went on to score a second in the first half. This saw the hosts take a 3-0 aggregate lead. But things changed dramatically.
Spurs turn things around in a frantic second half
Spurs were down and things looked almost over for them, but the half-time talks seemed to have an effect. The London side scored two early goals within five minutes in the second half. This gave Mauricio Pochettino's men the belief to make a comeback. The match was frantic in the closing stages and in the 96th minute, Lucas Moura completed his hat-trick for Spurs.
Lucas Moura scripts his name in history books
Moura deserves all the appreciation for stepping up and creating history. All his three goals were clinical. The winning strike in particular was the most decisive one. The Brazilian showed why he needs to feature in the big games as he became only the fifth player to score a Champions League semi-final hat-trick. Spurs have reached their first UCL finale and Moura was extraordinary.
