Tottenham Secures a Place in the Knockout Stages of UCL

Tottenham have earned themselves a place in the Uefa Champions League knockout stages. And they have Lucas Moura to thank for that.  The attacker was brought in late into the game against FC Barcelona but it was his incisive strike that leveled the game. His strike was indeed dramatic as fans couldn’t hold their joy when the ball found the back of the net.

Now, they have progressed to the last 16 in place of Inter Milan who also drew their game with PSV.

Before the match, Pochettino and his team knew they had to match the scoreline in the Inter versus PSV match. However, since Barcelona took the lead early in the game through Ousman Dembele, they looked to be heading to the Europa League.

Lucas’ goal at five minutes to the end of the match turned situations around. It took only a few seconds after the final whistle to confirm that they (Tottenham) will be proceeding.

Tottenham’s unimpressive start to the match saw them trailing by a 1 goal to nil, as early as the seventh minute of the game. In the build-up to Barcelona’s goal, Dembele got the best of Kyle Walker as he beat him to a loose ball at the center half. He then weaved Harry Winks’ slide tackle before slotting the ball in between the arms of the helpless Lloris.

Although their game improved midway through the first half, they still couldn’t create as many chances.

Then, at the start of the second period of the game, their game improved as they created a lot of chances. Although, they were denied on several occasions by Cillessen, Barcelona’s shot-stopper.  The goalkeeper made two good consecutive saves including a one-on-one with Son and a well struck shot by Christian Eriksen.

As the game progressed, Barcelona continued to threaten Spurs.  Coutinho’s shot hit the pole during the closing stages of the match. Harry equally hit a shot wide after been pressured by Clement Lenglet. But in the end, it was Lucas Moura who became Tottenham’s savior by netting a rather crucial equalizer.

Also read: Suarez strikes late as Barca snatch victory at Rayo Vallecano