Tottenham Hotspur produced one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the Champions League one year ago at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Spurs went into the second-leg of the semifinals a goal down on aggregate having lost 1-0 to Ajax in North London, and their woes were further compounded after 45 minutes in The Netherlands as they were 2-0 down.
However, Lucas Moura scored thrice in the last 35 minutes of the clash to send Tottenham into the final of the Champions League on the away-goal rule after the clash ended 3-3 on aggregate.
While Mauricio Pochettino’s men eventually fell to a 2-0 defeat in the final at the hands of Liverpool, the Ajax encounter remains fondly remembered and will go down in the club’s history as one of their greatest ever games.
Former Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe watched the game and the club’s senior journalist Paul Miles has shared how he reacted after full-time.
“I’ll never forget the Ajax players collapsing everywhere. Seeing our players go over to the fans to celebrate and then six, seven eight of the Ajax players literally collapsed on the floor,” the Spurs employee told The Athletic.
“If anyone’s got that photograph from up high, the contrast in emotions from a football match, that was just madness.
“I remember getting a WhatsApp from Jermain Defoe along the lines of: ‘wow and that’s it. Just: ‘wow.’”
Despite missing the game via injury, Harry Kane also played a huge role in inspiring the boys at half-time, telling them the performance wasn’t good enough and they have to turn it around as it’s not over.
He referenced how Liverpool produced a 4-0 masterclass against Barcelona a night earlier after losing 3-0 in the first-leg, and Spurs delivered in the second-half, making Champions League history and entering into the record books as a result.
