The referee allowed play to continue another 90 seconds or so, although most of what happened in that time was not actual soccer but instead celebration and anguish and tears from both Tottenham (joy) and Ajax (heartbreak). So what Spurs forward Lucas Moura conjured just as the final seconds of the planned five minutes of added time expired was not truly a buzzer-beater. Or, if you wish to be precise, not a whistle-beater.
It was shocking, though, in the best sense of that word.
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Somehow, Tottenham pulled off a victory nearly as improbable as Liverpool managed just 24 hours earlier, Moura scoring all three goals in the second half of their game at Johan Cruyff Arena to rescue Spurs from a 3-0 aggregate deficit and advance them, on the basis of away goals, to the UEFA Champions League final June 1 against LFC in Madrid. This is the first all-English final since 2008, when Manchester United defeated Chelsea on penalties.
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It may be the first all-miracle final, ever.
First, Liverpool recovers from a 3-0 first-leg deficit against the great Lionel Messi and Barcelona, which has clinched its fourth league championship in the past five years, with four goals Tuesday night and three in the second half.
Then Tottenham digs itself from a 1-0 hole after 90 minutes at home into a 3-0 crater after 35 minutes of the second leg Wednesday in Amsterdam — and, through a combination of skill and desperation, recovers.
"It wasn’t about the substitution or changing the way we play. It was about belief,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters after the game. "That’s why we’re in the Champions League final. It's all about that spirit and never giving up."
Perhaps it was recognition that his players followed that directive never to surrender that led Pochettino to weep openly after Moura’s goal struck the back of the net and, eventually, to fall to his knees and drop his head to the turf.
LAST MINUTE WINNER. THROUGH TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SEQUEV6Jc0
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He believed they had not played poorly enough to concede twice in the first half, although midfielder Victor Wanyama allowed some of his brutal first-leg performance to bleed into a vital moment of the second. He was caught looking in the box as Hakim Ziyech sneaked past and blistered a left-footed shot into the right corner of the goal.
Moura gave Spurs some hope, however, after midfielder Dele Alli made a strong run through the center of the field that included his attempt to slide the ball behind a defender and onto his left foot. Moura was sprinting nearby and saw an opportunity to pounce on the ball with speed, and he grabbed the ball and kept his balance as he struck it past goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The second featured an amazing finish, with Moura spinning into his left foot and striking it through a forest of teammates and defenders into the left corner. But even more astounding was the sequence of events that led to him standing with the ball at his feet: a cross by left back Danny Rose that was deflected to teammate Heung-Ming Son at the top of the box, a ball played to the right to Kieran Trippier, his cross in front of goal that substitute Fernando Llorente tried to poke over the line with his left toe, a beautiful stop by Onana that knocked the ball to the ground, a leap to control the ball by Onana that was unsuccessful and nudged it forward to Moura, and then a slight meander through traffic by Moura to find some room to fire a shot.
“I think scoring three goals, a hat trick, if the other players are superheroes, he's a super, super, super hero,” Pochettino said. “He was amazing, he was very clinical in front of the goal. Yes, I think, a fantastic night, a magical night for him. He is so important.”
Spurs never had been beyond the Champions League semifinals and had only gotten that far once, long before the competition even went by that catchy name. It looked very much like their European adventure would end at this stage, again.
Moura competed to the very last second, though. He did not know when that would come, because only the referee knows in soccer when the final whistle will blow. But Moura was ready for his moment when it arrived.
