A thrilling second-half comeback at Wembley saw Juventus storm into the Champions League quarter-finals, edging past Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday (4-3 agg).
Juventus had the tough task of chasing the game after conceding two critical away goals in the first leg. Yet, it was Tottenham who burst out stronger in the opening stages.
The London side had an early penalty shout turned down when Giorgio Chiellini appeared to handle the ball inside the box in the 13th minute. Despite this, Spurs maintained their momentum. Minutes later, Harry Kane capitalised on a superb through ball from Dele Alli, rounding goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon but narrowly missed, firing just wide.
In the 17th minute, Tottenham again escaped a penalty call when Jan Vertonghen’s sliding tackle on Douglas Costa was waved away by referee Szymon Marciniak.
Tottenham continued to dominate, with Son Heung-min especially causing havoc. He came close in the 38th minute, firing just past the far post but quickly made amends.
The Spurs then orchestrated a slick move, with Andrea Barzagli’s challenge on Alli blocking the attack, but Kieran Trippier seized possession and whipped in a cross for Son to tap in at the far post, despite not hitting the ball cleanly. Buffon could only scramble as the ball crept over the line.
Juve looked rattled and frustrations grew, with Barzagli repeatedly testing Son physically throughout the first half.
However, Massimiliano Allegri’s tactical switch changed the game. Bringing on Stephan Lichtsteiner in place of Medhi Benatia in the 61st minute sparked the comeback. Lichtsteiner’s pinpoint cross found Sami Khedira, who flicked the ball on for Gonzalo Higuain to score the equaliser.
Just minutes later, Higuain set up Paulo Dybala with a perfectly-timed pass behind the Spurs defence. Dybala calmly chipped the ball over Hugo Lloris, securing the lead for Juventus in the 67th minute.
Tottenham pressed late, hoping to salvage extra time, but Juventus stood firm, with Chiellini outstanding in defence, throwing himself at every ball.
Kane nearly forced extra time in the 90th minute when his headed effort struck the far post from a Ben Davies cross.
That was Tottenham’s final opportunity as Juventus toasted a dramatic victory, snatching success from the jaws of defeat.
© TEAMtalk Media
