A failed audition.
That’s what Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Juventus felt like. Spurs were up against a team with gluttonous experience in the Champions League and it showed up painfully.
Mauricio Pochettino’s European dream finishes with an undeserving whimper. His side had been one of the revelations of the Champions League campaign, topping a group ahead of Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. An excellent 2-2 draw at the Allianz Stadium had tilted this tie in his favour, with Max Allegri admitting that he had been outfoxed by his contemporary.
There would be no repeat in the second leg. Spurs started brightly, with Son Heung-min bobbling in a 16th goal of the season to lead the tie 3-2 on aggregate. A glorious three minute spell from Gonzalo Higuain proved to be the death knell for Spurs’ hopes, however. After hooking an equaliser in the 64th minute, the Argentine turned provider two minutes later, snaking a sumptuous through ball for partner in crime Paulo Dybala to scoop over Hugo Lloris.
In a game that leaves Spurs with just one trophy left to win, here are five things we learned.