Gareth Messenger

With the single swing of a left foot, the UEFA Champions League had an all-English final. How different it could have been had it not been for two of football’s greatest ever comebacks. 

Just 24 hours after Liverpool’s heroics at Anfield against Barcelona, Tottenham followed suit and perhaps produced a turnaround more impressive than the one the day previous. 

Heading to Amsterdam a goal down after the first leg, Tottenham’s hopes of overturning the scoreline hit an early snag. Ajax captain Matthijs De Ligt plundered home a header just five minutes in the Dutch capital.

The aggregate advantage was further extended when soon-to-be Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech fired a curling shot past the despairing Hugo Lloris. It was 2-0 on the night, 3-0 on aggregate. For most watching on, the tie was done. 

Much like Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino, his players refused to go down without a fight. Suddenly the game changed. 

Lucas Moura struck early on in the second half, and when Ajax keeper Andre Onana made a mess of an attempt on the goal, the ball fell to Moura who expertly weaved his way around three Ajax defenders before firing into the net.

Two goals in the space of five second-half minutes. Something was in the air, and just a day after the impossible became possible, now the unexpected became expected.

Ajax retained the aggregate lead, and with both sides committed to attack, chances continued to flow at both ends, Ziyech's 20-yard shot coming back off the post before Jan Vertonghen struck the crossbar. Just as it looked as if Ajax would resist, however, Moura swept into the net in the final seconds of added time (the clock had just hit the fifth minute of the five allotted) completing his hat-trick and a comeback for the ages.

Ajax’s players fell to their knees. The usual bustling vibe of Amsterdam became as silent as a desert in the night. Tottenham’s players celebrated wildly, and their fans erupted into pure ecstasy. 

When the whistle went, the despair for the home support was there for all to see. Tottenham’s players ran quicker than they ran all night. Even the injured Harry Kane found a spring in his step, sprinting across the field in his tracksuit to celebrate with his team. 

When the obligatory handshakes between the managers took place, an emotional Mauricio Pochettino showed emotion many had rarely seen his tenure as Spurs boss. Tears, and lots of them. Tears of joy in celebrating a victory he, and millions watching around the world, never, ever expected.