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Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Friday, 19 April 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters): After an astonishing encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur reached the semi-finals of the Champions League on away goals following a 4-3 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday.
Spurs, who won the first leg 1-0 and progressed after the tie finished 4-4 on aggregate, will play Ajax Amsterdam for a place in the final against Liverpool or Barcelona after one of the most remarkable matches in the competition’s history.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino predicted the meeting with the exciting and young Dutch side would be an “open and exciting game” but it will take something for it to offer more entertainment than this non-stop wave of drama and emotions.
It started in manic fashion with four goals in the opening 11 minutes of the game. It was a gripping spectacle right up until the dramatic finale when City had a stoppage time goal from Raheem Sterling, which would have sent them through, ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
City fans had celebrated what looked like the goal that sent them into the last four before the replay confirmed that Sergio Aguero was offside in the build-up.
It was a perfect example of the benefits of using technology but it was also hard on Pep Guardiola’s side who had been the stronger over the 90 minutes.
“It is cruel but it is what it is and we have to accept it,” said Guardiola, whose dream of winning four titles this season is now over.
His counterpart, Pochettino, who was without his top scorer Harry Kane, said his team had shown all their character.
“My players are heroes. We made history,” said the Argentine, whose team reach the last four for the first time since the creation of the Champions League and since their 1962 appearance in the semi-finals of the European Cup.
City, who went out at the same stage to Liverpool last season, were stunned though in the 73rd minute when Spurs substitute Fernando Llorente bundled in a Kieran Trippier corner to restore the London club’s advantage through away goals.
With officials unsure if the ball had bounced off the Spaniard’s hand or rolled off his hip in the goalmouth scramble, VAR was called into action and the goal stood for Spurs — a decision Guardiola questioned after the game.
Then came the stoppage time video torture for the home support — Aguero burst down the right flank and delivered a low cross for Sterling to slot home what would have been his hat-trick goal.
The VAR call was correct and the Premier League champions were out — to the delight of Pochettino and his players who celebrated wildly in front of the travelling Spurs support.
Now the pair will meet again on Saturday at the same venue in the Premier League, with plenty at stake for both teams. It should be another classic but it is hard to see how it could be quite as engrossing as this one.
