Tottenham had achieved a near miracle beating Ajax after the teams finished 3-3 on aggregate on Wednesday to set up a showdown with Liverpool in the Champions League final.
Spurs beat Ajax 3-2 in the second leg of the semi-final on Wednesday and will face Liverpool on June 1 in Madrid
Tottenham were 2-0 down at half-time in Amsterdam to trail 3-0 on aggregate only for a sensational second-half hat-trick from Lucas Moura to edge them through on the away goals rule.
Moura’s winner came in the 96th minute and was the prompt for Pochettino, his coaching staff and the Spurs substitutes to stream on to the pitch in celebration. At one point, Pochettino sank on to all fours and put his face in the turf. He would later cry tears of happiness.
“It’s difficult with words to describe my feelings and my emotions,” Pochettino said. “I think it’s one of the most important nights in my life. It’s impossible to live without the type of emotion football brings.
A lot more is in my head but the most important thing I want to say is to congratulate my players. They own the football, they delivered a great job. I’ve told you over the last six months that they are heroes. I think they are superheroes now.
“It can be amazing to close this chapter by playing a final. If we won, it would be an amazing book. In the last five years, we’ve been so tough on the players to get the best from them. I’ve learned a sentence – no pain, no gain. When you realise this satisfaction, it is all worth it.”
Spurs flirted with elimination after they took one point from the first three group phase ties only to keep themselves alive with vital late goals against PSV Eindhoven, Internazionale and Barcelona. Then, in the quarter-finals, they edged an epic against Manchester City on away goals after a 4-4 draw. And now this.
Pochettino was asked whether he believed in destiny. “Of course,” he replied. “We were talking about destiny. But I don’t believe in it because it’s a nice word. I believe in it, first of all, when you work so hard. After you do that, and if you are honest, I believe you are going to be rewarded. Sooner or later, the reward is going to arrive.
“The spirit of the team was amazing. Never give up. The belief and the faith were the principles for the victory. It wasn’t the tactics, the substitutions or that we changed the way to play. It was the belief and the faith. It’s an amazing feeling.”
source: The Guardian, Euro News
