Tottenham analysis: Gonzalo Higuain leaves Harry Kane duel with regrets as Serge Aurier struggles vs Juventus

Tom Collomosse14 February 2018

Christian Eriksen completed a remarkable Tottenham comeback as they rallied from two down to draw 2-2 with Juventus in the Champions League last 16.

Spurs will take two precious away goals into the second leg at Wembley next month after Harry Kane's clinical finish and a clever free-kick from the superb Eriksen ensured a fascinating contest finished 2-2 in Turin.

Mauricio Pochettino's men were on the brink after Gonzalo Higuain put Juventus two up within nine minutes, the second a penalty after Ben Davies fouled Federico Bernardeschi.

But Kane pulled one back, only Juve's second goal conceded in 17 games, before Higuain missed a second penalty, in what could prove a decisive moment in this tie.

In Pictures | Champions League round of 16, first legs | 2017/18

1/105

Juve surrendered all momentum after their blistering start and Spurs will now be targeting a first Champions League quarter-final since 2011.

Tom Collomosse assesses the key talking points in Turin...

Aurier struggles to justify selection

AFP/Getty Images

Serge Aurier has been inconsistent since joining Tottenham from Paris Saint-Germain for £23million last summer, mixing powerful performances with silly mistakes.

Luckily for Tottenham, he got away with one in Turin when his needless, clumsy tackle on Douglas Costa presented Juventus with their second penalty of the game - only for Gonzalo Higuain to miss it with the final kick of the first half.

Another rash tackle early in the second period earned Aurier a booking and means he will miss the Wembley match.

As long as Kieran Trippier can stay fit between now and then, Aurier’s absence may be a blessing in disguise.

Higuain wins Kane duel but leaves with regrets

Getty Images

The battle between Higuain and Harry Kane was one of the many fascinating subplots to this tie.

Both are among Europe’s finest centre-forwards and both made their mark - but Higuain knows he should probably have sent Juventus into the quarter-finals with 90 minutes to spare.

The Argentine’s quickfire double - a superb volley and a penalty - sent Juve 2-0 up but he then should have claimed his hat-trick on the half-hour mark, only to shoot wide under no pressure 10 yards out.

The penalty he squandered after Douglas Costa had been hacked down by Aurier turned the match, and possibly the tie.

AFP/Getty Images

As for Kane, he took his goal superbly but will be cross with himself for heading straight at Gianluigi Buffon when unmarked six yards from goal.

Recent history favours Tottenham

Getty Images

Despite their excellent recent record in the Champions League, Juventus have never beaten an English team in the knockout stages, losing to Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Juve’s experience - they were finalists in 2015 and 2017 - will make them confident ahead of the return leg at Wembley in three weeks’ time, but they saw enough from Spurs here to know they will have a ferocious battle on their hands to progress to the last eight.

If Tottenham can start the return leg as Juventus started this one, it might be enough to take the Premier League team through.

Juve cannot handle Spurs’ creative trio

AFP/Getty Images

Spurs fought their way back into the game thanks to Juventus’ timidity after they went 2-0 up, but the importance of Mousa Dembele, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela to their effort cannot be underestimated.

Dembele maintained the supreme form he has shown in recent weeks and, even though he is approaching his 31st birthday, he remains as vital to this team as ever.

Eriksen’s reputation continues to grow as he crowned an intelligent performance with the equaliser, a low free-kick that Buffon should have saved.

As for Lamela, his selection ahead of Heung-min Son raised eyebrows yet he justified it, showing skill, bravery and diligence in equal measure.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in