Wednesday evening saw another magical semi-final match in the UEFA Champions League. In Amsterdam, the second ticket to the final of the 2018-19 season was awarded.
After the first half, where Amsterdam's "Ajax" held a three-goal advantage in the aggregate series, they let the ticket to the final slip away until just a few seconds remained in the match. In the second half, London's "Tottenham" scored three goals to equalize and for the first time in their club's history, advance to the Champions League final.
The match in Amsterdam, just like the first leg in London, started tragically for the "Tottenham" team - as early as the 5th minute, Matthijs de Ligt scored a powerful header from a corner kick to put "Ajax" in the lead.
For the hosts, this was the perfect start - "Spurs" now needed to score at least two goals. In the next attack, "Tottenham" could have equalized when Heung-Min Son's shot shook the opponent's goal construction.
Later opportunities decreased, but the pace of the game remained high. In the early stages of the first half, "Ajax" forced goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to make saves after dangerous shots from H-M. Son and Christian Eriksen.
In the 30th minute, the hosts could have increased their advantage with Dusan Tadic, who sprinted on the wing and took a shot from a distance, just wide of Hugo Lloris' goal. However, "Ajax" eventually converted another opportunity into a second goal - after D. Tadic's pass, Hakim Ziyech made a perfect shot from inside the penalty area, beating H. Lloris and seemingly sealing the deal in this semi-final.
The teams went into halftime with a score of 2-0, meaning that "Tottenham" needed at least three goals in the second half. It seemed like an impossible task, but inspired by Liverpool's comeback, "Tottenham" once again proved that matches don't end until the final whistle.
The second half for the visitors from London started impressively - in the 55th minute, Lucas Moura received the ball after a Dele Alli pass and reduced the deficit, and just four minutes later, taking advantage of a mistake in the opponent's penalty area, he equalized the score.
"Tottenham" not only managed to come back in just four minutes, but also came close to reaching the final with an additional goal.
After a sensational period for "Spurs," "Ajax" tried to fight back and created at least two great chances to score a third goal, but both the goalposts and the wayward opposition striker, especially H. Ziyech, saved the "Tottenham" team.
As the main match time elapsed, the referee decided to add five minutes, which turned out to be disastrous for the "Ajax" team. Earlier, Jan Vertonghen's header from a promising position shook the crossbar, but this defender's chance was not the only one that "Tottenham" created in the remaining time.
With all five minutes played, "Tottenham" was near the opponent's penalty area - unexpectedly, after a Dele Alli pass, L. Moura found space in the opponent's defensive line and killed the "Ajax" team with a precise shot, causing them to fall to the ground as the entire "Tottenham" team plunged into euphoria.
L. Moura finished the evening in Amsterdam with a hat-trick and a ticket to the dreamed Champions League final. On June 1, "Spurs" will compete against another English team - "Liverpool."
Result:
"Ajax" 2 - 3 "Tottenham" (First leg: 1-0, final result: 3-3) 5' [1 - 0] M. de Ligt 35' [2 - 0] H. Ziyech 55' [2 - 1] L. Moura 59' [2 - 2] L. Moura 90+6' [2 - 3] L. Moura
Starting lineups:
"Ajax": Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Blind, Tagliafico; Van de Beek, Schöne, De Jong; Ziyech, Tadic, Dolberg.
"Tottenham": Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Sissoko, Eriksen; Dele, Lucas, Son.
