Fantastic Lucas Moura Sends Spurs to the Champions League Final

Tottenham's bowing in the direction of an inspired Lucas Moura in the aftermath of his hat trick that completed an epic Spurs comeback well into time added on. 

It took a special effort to derail a feisty Ajax that had mounted a stirring run through the bracket.

The Brazilian right winger picked the perfect occasion to have a day, too.

Spurs have never been to a Champions League final, and few thought this would be their year to do so after getting shut out at home, 0-1, in the first leg.

 

It was looking grim for Tottenham in the early going, though.

Lasse Schöne's corner found the captain, Matthijs de Ligt, who headed into Hugo Lloris's corner only five minutes into the proceedings:

 

Son Heung-Min and Moura had their chances shortly afterward, but they were not to be.

At the time, anyway.

Ajax kept up their high-pressure tactics and ultimately doubled their lead in the 35th minute. That's when Dušan Tadić capitalized on a Kieran Trippier's mistake, drove forward, and set up Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan international slotted an exquisite finish straight into Lloris' corner:

 

After the break, Mauricio Pochettino refused to give up and introduced Fernando Llorente after halftime. 

The Spaniard proved to be crucial, as he allowed Moura to have more liberty to attack. The Spurs began the second half better and made hay in the 55th minute through the Brazilian.

On a counter-attack, Danny Rose passed to Dele Alli, who fed Moura. Dude beat André Onana easily:

 

The right time, right place thing happened for Moura in the 59th minute to draw Tottenham even on the night.

Llorente forced Onana to make a great save, but the rebound caromed back to Moura, who showed a bitta nifty footwork to round Ajax defenders in short space to notch his second score:

 

At this point, the Spurs needed only one more away goal to advance. Ajax looked completely lost, and the game gained a dramatic atmosphere.

Tottenham was pushing to the max, which meant they were conceding too many openings. Those gave Ziyech a couple of inviting chances to wrap it up for the Dutch, but it just wasn't his night.

 

In the final minutes, Onana had all but guaranteed Ajax's improbable tickets to Madrid.

Turns out it was worse than improbable.

The referee gave five minutes of stoppage time, and it proved to be too much for the Dutch side. Instead of keeping their fingers in the metaphorical dike, they saw Tottenham's version instead:

 

In the 96th minute, it was Moura's time to shine.

Dude pounced on a loose ball and drove a low scud into the left corner:

 

The Brazilian joined the Spurs on New Year's Eve 2018, making him the last player in the fold. Now, he's etched his name into Tottenham lore.

Looks like it was a case of saving the best for last.