Erik ten Hag shares what he told Ajax’s players after Tottenham Hotspur beat them

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Tottenham Hotspur managed to pull off one of the all time great Champions League comebacks yesterday.

Ajax boss Erik ten Hag has told Football London that he sympathised with his side after they were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur last night.

Ajax have won the hearts of many neutrals with their performances in the Champions League this season, and they were so close to making the final last night.

The Dutch side had a 3-0 advantage over Tottenham on aggregate, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side staged one of the all time great comebacks to progress.

A Lucas Moura hat-trick in the second half sent Tottenham through in the most unlikely of circumstances.

And Ten Haag admits that he could offer few words to console his Ajax team in the dressing room.

He said: “I told the players that it was hard to find the words and that football is cruel.

“This is the cruel side that we have to endure tonight. We have to go on, if you are so close, the players realise that and you need time to get that sorted out.”

Ajax looked the better side for much of the contest against Tottenham, but they simply could not match Pochettino’s men for the final 45 minutes of the tie and it proved costly.

Spurs were relentless in the second half, as Moura’s hat-trick sent them to Madrid.

Tottenham will now go on to face Liverpool in the Champions League final on June 1st.