Although far from complete, the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League has already been filled with drama and intensity. Placed in the “group of death,” current holders Madrid have yet to replicate the form that led them to two consecutive champions league triumphs. In that group (H), it was Tottenham Hotspur who emerged at the top of the group after going unbeaten in the group stages, with Real Madrid still qualifying for the knockout stages ahead of perennial European contenders, Borussia Dortmund. Tottenham’s dominance took the world by surprise after last year’s disappointing campaign where they failed to qualify for the knockout stages. Their young squad, though, was determined to play with more passion and high-pressing football than ever before.
The route to the knockout stage was also interesting for last year’s runners-up, Juventus. After losing their first group stage match to Barcelona 3-0, they impressed in their remaining 5 matches and managed to qualify for the knockout stages.
When Tottenham were drawn to Juventus, football fans were instantly excited about this intriguing matchup. On one side, Juventus is the preeminent Italian team, which has won Serie A a remarkable 33 times. After finishing as finalists in two of the last three Champions League campaigns, many people believed this could be the year that Juventus finally captures that elusive Champions League title. On the other side, Tottenham is a renowned English club but does not have nearly the same pedigree as Juventus, as their last league triumph came in 1961. Since then, Spurs have struggled to compete with the increasing amount of money being pumped into clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City. Although, even though they have yet to garner a title, since bringing on manager Mauricio Pochettino in 2014, Tottenham has become one of the top clubs in the Premiere League over the last few years.
The first leg of this Champions League matchup occurred on February 13th, 2018 at Juventus Stadium. Leading up to the match, both teams were extremely complementary of each other. Sami Khedira, a midfielder for Juventus, even called Tottenham striker Harry Kane “the most complete striker in Europe,” in the lead-up to this match (Marsden).
I was extremely excited to watch this game, as I thought that the amount of talent on both sides as well as the contrast in styles would provide for an entertaining match. Juventus had only conceded one goal in their last 16 matches, and Tottenham is a young team which places emphasis on attacking football and pressing high.
As the match kicked off, I almost instantly knew that this was going to be a memorable game, with Gonzalo Higuain netting away a beautiful volley in only the second minute. Shortly after, in the eighth minute, Tottenham’s immaturity was evident, as they conceded a penalty, which was put home easily by Higuain for his second of the match. At that point, most people were surely convinced that the match was already over. Nevertheless, I was interested to see how the Spurs would respond.
Immediately after conceding the second goal, Spurs began to play their style of football. Midfielders Moussa Dembélé and Eric Dier started to influence the game more, and the Spurs began to dominate possession. Not long after that, Christian Eriksen played a fantastic ball into star striker Harry Kane, which he missed. Even though the chance didn’t lead to a goal, Spurs’ ingenuity opened up the seemingly impermeable Juventus defense, and I had a feeling that they would get at least one away goal.
Juventus’ squad is not only extremely talented, but also very experienced in playing in these types of important matches. Around the 30th minute, Higuain had a chance to make it three, but spurned the chance. In my opinion, this was the turning point of the entire match. I certainly thought that Higauin would complete his hat trick and put the Spurs away for good. Instead, Tottenham really began to believe that they might be able to get something out of the game. This belief really manifested itself in Tottenham’s first goal. After a beautiful buildup, Dele Alli played an incisive ball into Kane, and this time he put the ball in the back of the net. I was impressed with Spurs’ ability to stay in the game and eventually score an extremely important away goal.
Merely ten minutes later though, in extra time, I was shocked when Serge Aurier conceded yet another penalty after a terrible tackle on Douglas Costa. Surely, Higuain would complete his hat trick and Juventus would go on to win the game. This moment embodied the game of football and reminded me of why I love the sport. Higuain hit the crossbar, and Spurs managed to stay in the game. I knew that the game was far from over, and I was excited to see how the rest of it would unfold, with a whole other half yet to be played.
Pochettino must have given a fantastic team talk, as the Spurs came out firing. They continued to put pressure on the Juventus players and created many chances in the first part of the second half. I remember thinking to myself around the 65th minute, that if Spurs were going to get that elusive equalizing goal, it would need to come in this period of play because they were dominating it. Surely enough, in the 71st minute, Christian Eriksen scored a fantastic goal from a free kick just outside of the box. I do not particularly support Spurs, but I found myself excited when the ball crossed the line. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen for the rest of the match. There were good chances to be taken from both sides, although the match eventually finished level, at 2-2. Pochettino will be the happier of the two managers though, as his team scored 2 away goals, which could prove crucial, as the tiebreaker in the Champions League is decided on away goals scored. I am extremely excited for the second leg, which will take place at Wembley Stadium on March 7th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oof0oTgJPGs
Juventus vs. Tottenham | 2017-18 UEFA Champions League Highlights
References:
“Juventus vs. Tottenham | 2017-18 UEFA Champions League Highlights.” YouTube, uploaded by Fox Sports, 13 February 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oof0oTgJPGs.
Marsden, Rory. “Sami Khedira Rates Complete Striker Harry Kane Ahead of Higuain, Lewandowski.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 9 Feb. 2018, bleacherreport.com/articles/2758567-sami-khedira-rates-complete-striker-harry-kane-ahead-of-higuain-lewandowski.
