AMSTERDAM (AFP) - Mauricio Pochettino wept tears of joy as the emotional Tottenham manager hailed "super-hero" Lucas Moura for the incredible hat-trick that fired Tottenham into their first Champions League final.
Tottenham enjoyed arguably the greatest night in their history as Lucas's second-half treble clinched a 3-2 semi-final second-leg win that sent Pochettino's side through on away goals.
With just seconds left at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Tottenham were heading out of the tournament, but Brazilian forward Lucas came to the rescue with a superb strike from the edge of the area.
It was all too much for Pochettino, who danced with delight before burying his head in the turf as he let his emotions run wild.
When the final whistle went, Pochettino sobbed uncontrollably and he was still misty-eyed when he spoke to the media.
"It's still difficult to talk. The emotion is amazing, thank you to football. My players are heroes - in the last year I was telling everyone this group are heroes," Pochettino told BT Sport.
"They are all heroes but Lucas was a super-hero. Unbelievable hat-trick. He deserves it, he is a great guy.
Â
Â
Â
Â
"The second half they were amazing. Thank you football! This type of emotion without football is not possible."
Tottenham were written off in some quarters before the match after losing the first leg at home 1-0, a match that Ajax dominated for long periods.
And Pochettino took a subtle swipe at the doubters when he said: "Thank you to everyone who has believed in us. To describe this in words is difficult.
"We were talking before the game that when you work and when you feel the love it's not stress, it's passion of the team.
"We showed we love the sport and football. Today was amazing. It was a joy to watch this kind of game.
"It's difficult to compete at this level. I am so grateful to be a coach. To be in football and to live this type of football."
Welling up with emotion, Pochettino was crying again towards the end of the interview as he dedicated the astonishing triumph to his family.
"To have the chance to play a final is amazing. I want to remember my family, it is for them too. For the people who support us in that moment, it is amazing to reward them," he said as the tears flowed once more.
"I think everyone deserves it in this club, with all the tough times we've had in the five years that we have been here."
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola feels the Sky Blues' upcoming opponents Everton are a top side this season and the clash with the Toffees will not be easy. Marco Silva's side are seventh
Pep Guardiola - Manchester City's new signings could be more
Dec 18, 2018 · Third season syndrome: Mourinho's lows and highs at Manchester United The Portuguese's two-and-a-half year spell in charge of Manchester United included trophies and big signings - but saw the
In pictures: Jose Mourinho's Manchester United tenure
Premier League round-up: Manchester United into top four with 3-0 win at Fulham Manchester United rolled confidently to their 10th win in 11 games under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 3-0 win at Fulham on Saturday.
Match Preview - Fulham vs Man Utd | 09 Feb 2019
Soccer: Qatari goal machine Ali targets Europe move before
If Moyes does not add at least an attacking and a defensive midfielder to his squad this summer United will remain well short of rivals at home and abroad. Misfit Nani is unlikely to repeat last summer's about-face and remain at Old Trafford - Italy or Spain beckon for the 27-year-old winger. Meanwhile, few supporters will shed a tear if
Cesar Luis Menotti Named Director Of Argentina National Teams
Mbappe had two goals ruled out in the first half, one for offside and one for handball, but made amends after the interval as he finished from close range on 69 minutes to mark his half century in
Mbappe reaches half century as PSG brush Nimes aside
The victory lifts the Socceroos to second in the Group B table, two points clear of their final opponents Syria, against whom a draw will be enough to seal qualification to the last 16, while Palestine are bottom on one point but are far from out of the knockout picture.
Match preview: Socceroos v Palestine | Socceroos
Queiroz livid despite rout. Above: The Yemen defence is all at sea as Iran forward Sardar Azmoun scored the fourth goal in their 5-0 win at the Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Queiroz livid despite rout - PersianLeague.Com (Iran Football
LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers compete, but Utah Jazz end their two-game winning streak on second night of back-to-back situation.
BARCELONA (AFP) - Lionel Messi collected a record fifth Golden Shoe award on Tuesday (Dec 18) for finishing last season as the top goalscorer in Europe.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Lionel Messi claims record 5th Golden Shoe | Football News
Manchester City's Aguero, Fernandinho both 9/10 in must-win against Liverpool Craig Burley and Paul Mariner highlight the areas in which Pep Guardiola bested Jurgen Klopp from a tactical
Bournemouth execute game plan to perfection in win - ESPN FC
Boss Alan Curbishley demands a strong finish from West Ham. Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen in secret friendly before Liverpool's Champions League final victory over Tottenham
Erik Lamela demands strong finish from Spurs to secure
0 comments:
Post a Comment