Spurs looked to be heading out of the Champions League only for Moura’s third of the night to propel them into the final at Ajax’s expense.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has spoken of how he felt towards the end of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax, suggesting that he genuinely feared the worst.
The Spurs ace admitted that he suggested to teammate Davinson Sanchez about going back in the changing rooms to prepare themselves to support the players after the final whistle, but went on to say he “knew” that Lucas Moura’s shot was going in the moment he connected with the ball.
A 1-0 first-leg home defeat to Ajax and a 2-0 half-time deficit in the second leg in Amsterdam left Tottenham with a mountain to climb, but the framework for a miraculous comeback were laid out when the Brazilian netted twice in the second half.
However, with the clock ticking past the minimum five-minute mark in injury time, it looked like Spurs were home-bound, only for Moura to seal his hat-trick and emphatically propel his side into the final on away goals.
“We just felt it was our time but as the minutes ticked on, Jan hit the crossbar and you think perhaps it’s not going to be our night after all,” Kane told the official Spurs website. “You start thinking the worst and that we’re out of the Champions League.
“I was sitting with Davinson and suggested we started to head down to the changing room to be with the lads – just as Moussa kicked the ball up in the air. That got flicked on, Dele flicked it around the corner and from where we were sitting in the stadium it was right in line, so as soon as Lucas shot, we knew it was going in.”
Mauricio Pochettino’s charges now will face fellow Premier League side Liverpool in the final, which takes place at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium, on Saturday 1 June, for the right to lift the Champions League trophy.
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