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Scoreline: Juventus 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Scorers: Gonzalo Higuain (2' 9' P), Harry Kane 35' Christian Eriksen 71'
Champions League returned in the most riveting manner as Tottenham Hotspur pulled off a spectacular comeback against the mighty Juventus at the Juventus Stadium, Turin.
In a game that ping-ponged from box-to-box from the get-go, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen led an extraordinary comeback to secure 2 invaluable away goals after Gonzalo Higuain got The Old Lady off to the perfect start.
Higuain scored twice in the opening 9 minutes, first with a spectacular volley and then from the spot. It was expected that Spurs would get turned to mincemeat but Pochettino's men fought back with all their might.
Dele Alli's delightful through ball released Kane in on goal and the talismanic striker went around Gigi Buffon before side-footing it past the legendary goalkeeper in the 35th minute. Higuain would then miss 2 gilt-edged chances, one of them a penalty, as he royally messed up two chances to put the game to bed.
Spurs piled on the pressure in the second half and were rightly rewarded in the 71st minute as Eriksen sent a piledriver into the bottom corner from a set-piece from just outside the area.
#5 Juventus get off to a flyer but could not take control
As Gonzalo Higuain scored twice in the opening 9 minutes, it looked as though Spurs would get knocked into the middle of next week. For a while, it seemed like Pochettino's men were out of their depth and were going to see their European dream getting decommissioned in a rather cruel manner.
But Juve struggled to sustain the pressure and decided to sit deep and soak up the pressure. Spurs' relentless runners were overloading the midfield realms as last year's finalists started getting pushed back further and further into their own half.
Juventus are a team that has been as impressive as any in Europe's elite competition and it is for this very reason that Tottenham's comeback is all the more commendable.
But when Juventus broke, they created some of the best chances of the match but failed to bury any of them in the back of the net with the most disappointing one being Higuain's miss from the spot at the brink of halftime which could have seriously altered the course of the game.
#4 Spurs show why they belong with Europe's elite
After hitting Real Madrid like a ton of bricks at Wembley, you wouldn't put this past the Tottenham side. But the way they started the game was hardly reassuring.
However, they showed character and grit to turn the game around against a well-drilled Juve side. Poch's men kept fighting back and as Harry Kane missed a header from 6 yards out as he redirected an Eriksen cross straight at Buffon, you could see signs of a resurgence.
Even as Juventus broke on the occasional counter and ventured into their final third, Tottenham refused to bow out of the match as they kept at it with perhaps more intent than their Italian opponents.
The 2 away goals that were couriered past Buffon will make Harry Kane and his side believe that they can pull off one of the biggest upsets of the Round of 16 when Juve come visiting Wembley.
After watching Spurs stepping up to the occasion, the second leg is expected to be an absolute feast with more of the same to be served.
#3 Gonzalo Higuain and Harry Kane with tales of their own
Higuain looked all set to put on a spurt against Spurs after getting his team off to a flyer in the first 10 minutes. He looked sharp and was impressive going forward, being a thorn in the flesh for Tottenham as they broke on the counter sporadically.
Higuain was an immense presence in the beginning of the game as he helped out in defence and often provided support for Alex Sandro by covering ground and getting back to the defensive third to thwart a few of Tottenham's attacks.
His night, however, took a turn for the worse from thereon. After linking up delightfully with Miralem Pjanic, Higuain missed with his left from inside the box as the box whizzed past the post and crashed into the advertisement hoardings, much to the disappointment of the Juventus fans.
The worst was yet to come and he hit the crossbar after Juve won a penalty right before half-time.
Harry Kane, on the other hand, did not start off as strongly but ended the night smiling from ear to ear. His goal on the night was as authoritative as any as he has scored in Europe as he went past Buffon's despairing dive to slot home to restore some sort of balance.
The English striker is growing in stature and reputation as he keeps showing up in big games and delivering the goods.
#2 The Dembele-Eriksen midfield masterclass
Moussa Dembele has really come into his own over the past few weeks and have been putting in one champion shift after the next as Spurs look to be getting better in midfield every week.
He controlled the tempo of the game, defended astutely after the first two goals had gone in to ensure that Juve didn't get up to more mischief on the night and often times looked like he had way more time on the ball than a player of his quality should ever be afforded.
Dembele formed a good partnership with Eric Dier and kept things ticking in midfield all throughout the night and was able to adapt without a hitch as Pochettino introduced a few changes in the set-up.
Christian Eriksen was once again the creative spearhead as he roamed about the final third probing for weaknesses and taunting the Spurs backline with some clever and incisive passing. He was unlucky to have not registered an early assist after picking out Harry Kane inside the area with a dinked ball which the England striker failed to convert.
That Tottenham enjoyed so much control in midfield in Turin should do a world of good to their confidence and they will believe that they can go one better when Juventus come to Wembley in March for the return leg and my money would definitely be on them.
#1 Unsteady defences leak goals to set Wembley up for a thriller
If Moussa Dembele looked formidable on the night, it was only after he gave away the first freekick that led to Higuain's first goal of the night. Davies then gave away a penalty to ensure that Spurs had no time to rest on their laurels on the night.
The defenders started off poorly but grew back into the game. But as Juventus broke on the counter, time and again, Tottenham looked vulnerable and likely to concede again. Davinson Sanchez struggled as Juventus counter-attacked and will need to be more sure-footed under pressure or Vertonghen will have yet another busy night in the second leg.
Serge Aurier was largely disappointing in defence.
His reckless challenge on Higuain right before half-time was completely unnecessary and could so easily have undone all the good work Spurs were doing on the other side of the pitch. Aurier went on to pick up a yellow card for some more callous defending and he really needs to wind down or the body count may prove to be detrimental to Spurs' exploits in Europe.
On the other hand, Juventus defenders had just as difficult a night if not worse. De Sciglio could not keep up with the running of Alli, Kane and Lamela and looked weak at the knees for the most part of the game.
Harry Kane got the better of Chiellini more often than not whenever they came face to face. Benatia, who had picked up a yellow early on in the game had to be cautious and looked very restricted at the back.
One thing is for sure, the game at Wembley will also see a lot of goals but if you ask me where they are all going to end up at, my guess is as good as yours.
