LONDON: There is simply no substitute for experience in the highest tier of Euro­pean football as Juventus proved by coming back from the abyss to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The Italians, finalists in two of the last three seasons, were outplayed by Spurs in a 2-2 first-leg draw in Turin and were on the ropes at Wembley but goals by Argentine strike duo Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala in three minutes sent them through 4-3 on aggregate.

Son Heung-min’s first-half goal had Spurs in control and dreaming of a famous scalp but they paid for two defensive lapses as their 17-match unbeaten run came to an end.

Higuain, who scored twice in the first leg, levelled in the 64th minute before Dybala burst clear of a static Spurs defensive line to curl the winner past Hugo Lloris two minutes and 49 seconds later.

Tottenham will rue mis­sed chances and Harry Kane’s last-minute header against the post but Massi­miliano Allegri’s streetwise Juve side proved they are still one of the toughest of European nuts to crack.

“In less than three minutes we conceded two goals — two big mistakes — and that is why we are out,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters. “In both legs we deserved more.

“We played fantastic football until that first goal and we dominated. Of course we are very disappointed but it is part of growing. We will keep going.”

It was an epic escape act from Juve. The two-time European champions have enjoyed some memorable moments in the competition, but coming back from the brink against such in-form opposition will rank as one of their finest hours.

Giorgio Chiellini, part of a Juve back-four packing 175 Champions League appearances, said experience had been key.

“We suffered,” Chiellini said after the 4-3 aggregate win. “It was very difficult. But we maintained the calm.” On a night when it was so difficult for Chiellini and his team-mates to remain composed when Ita­lian football is still shaken, still mourning Fiorentina captain Davide Astori.

Tears rolled down Chiellini’s face amid the celebrations as he paid tribute to his 31-year-old occasional Italy team-mate, who was found dead in his room before a Serie A match on Sunday.

“We dedicate it to him, not only this match but every mind on this day,” Chiellini said. “I cried many times. He was a fantastic player. ... We would like to continue with his smile in our hearts.”

While Juve displayed the resolve missing in the first leg, Tottenham threw away a winning position on become the first English team to be eliminated this season.

Chelsea and Manchester United will complete their second legs next week, but two Premier League clubs are already through. A day after Liverpool eliminated Porto, Manchester City advanced on Wednesday with a 5-2 victory over FC Basel despite losing 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

GREAT ESCAPE

Unlike City, Spurs lacked a comfortable lead to be so relaxed. But they had chances to build one early in the second leg.

Harry Kane broke past Chiellini and rounded Buffon only to hit the side netting, while Son skewed a shot wide of the post before finding the breakthrough in the 39th minute.

Christian Eriksen slipped the ball through to Dele Alli but Andrea Barzagli intervened with a sliding tackle. The ball reached Kieran Trippier on the right and a cross was whipped in for Son, whose scuffed shot found its way into the net.

When Tottenham rue their second-half capitulation, they should remember how fortunate it was to avoid losing a player and conceding a penalty in the 17th minute when Douglas Costa was tripped by Jan Vertonghen.

Juve were not going to go down without a fight. So much of this last-16 match-up hinged on brief passages of play. For Juve that came around the hour mark.

First came the substitution and a tactical switch from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 by Massimiliano Allegri. Kwadwo Asamoah came on for Blaise Matuidi, while Stephan Lichtsteiner replaced Medhi Benatia. And it was Lichtsteiner’s cross that Sami Khedira headed on to Higuain at the far post to reduce the deficit.

Tottenham were anxious and Juve went for the kill three minutes later.

Higuain’s pass dissected Tottenham’s poorly-executed offside trap and Dybala ran through to drill a cool finish.

Tottenham laid siege to the Juventus goal in the final stages, but the visitors defended heroically and rode their luck when Kane’s header hit a post before being scooped off the line by Barzagli.

CITY ADVANCE

With their first home loss in 15 months, City ended up stumbling into the quarter-finals. Not that Pep Guardiola was particularly bothered about a surprise loss to Basel.

“This kind of position is not going to happen in the quarter-finals, where you have a 4-0 [lead] from the first leg,” the City coach said. “When it’s scary to be [knocked] out, the rhythm will be completely different.” Indeed, it was difficult to draw too many conclusions from what was only City’s fourth loss of the season in all competitions.

A 4-0 win in Switzerland in the first leg three weeks ago made qualification almost a formality for a team that is 16 points clear in the Premier League and one of the favorites to win the Champions League.

Guardiola fielded a virtual reserve side at Etihad Stadium for the return match, and making six changes from its previous game disrupted the fluency of the team’s passing and pressing game.

City took the lead in the eighth minute through Gabriel Jesus in his first start in 2018, but Mohamed Elyounoussi equalised in the 17th and Basel regularly broke through the home side’s midfield in the final hour of the game.

Wing back Michael Lang earned Basel their latest victory over a Premier League giant by smashing a rising shot inside the near post through goalkeeper Claudio Bravo’s attempted save in the 71st.

“It’s special for us to beat this team and we go out of the Champions League with a decent performance in a very difficult situation,” said Basel coach Raphael Wicky.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2018