Follow all the action as Ajax and Tottenham bid to book a UEFA Champions League final place against Liverpool. The Dutch team hold a 1-0 advantage heading into tonight’s semi-final second leg in Amsterdam.
08 May 2019
We'll leave our live updates there, but you can check out a full report on tonight's drama here:
Also on rt.com Spurs beat Ajax in incredible Champions League fight-back to book final spotThanks for joining us on what has been another incredible night. Bye for now.
What a night of drama. Just after we thought things couldn't get any more remarkable after last night's action, the Champions League has delivered. Again.
The final is set: it's an all-English affair in Madrid.
UN.BE.LIEAVBLE.
Lucs Moura nets a hat-trick 6 minutes into injury time!
The whistle has gone, Ajax are out, Tottenham are into the final against Liverpool on June 1.
The Dutch players are in tears, Spurs can't belive it, no one can believe it.
GOAL!!!!! AJAX 2-3 TOTTENHAM!! (AGG. 3-3)
Into 5 MINUTES of injury time. Can Spurs find the breakthrough?
Chance! Spurs come so, so close to a third. Vertonghon has a free header from a corner, but he can't generate any power and Onana palms the ball clear. Was that the big moment for Spurs? Around 3 minutes of the 90 left.
Change for Spurs: Erik Lamela on, Trippier off. Attack-minded change.
Into the last 10 minutes in Amsterdam. How are your nerves?
Hits the post! Ajax so close to grabbing a third as Ziyech rattle the foot of the woodwork from just inside the box!
Liverpool await tonight's winners remember - and Reds hero Trent Alexander-Arnold is ready...
Spurs with a corner, Alderweireld rises highest.... and heads wide.
Still in the balance.
Indeed...
Into the last 20 minutes, and Ajax force Lloris into a save as the home team take the ascendency.
Another goal for them would kill it; Spurs need just one more to head through.
Moura the man for Spurs
Chance!
Ziyech puts the ball agonizingly wide from about 10 yards out. Almost a carbon copy of his goal earlier but it's the wrong side of the post.
This game is a barnstormer.
The comeback is on!
Moura adds a second in the space of four minutes! Onana saves a shot from Llorente, but fails to gather in a mix-up with the defense. Moura picks up the ball, twists and turns to make space and then finds the corner!
GOAL! AJAX 2-2 TOTTENHAM (AGG. 3-2)
A whiff of hope for Spurs?
A lightning-quick break as Dele Alli races clear and weaves his way through before Lucas Moura takes over and breaks into the box, riding a challenge before slottiong calmly past Onana.
The visitors have 35 minutes to score two more.
GOAL! AJAX 2-1 TOTTENHAM (AGG. 3-1)
Chance!
Onana saves athletically from Dele Alli as the England man finds space at the back post and side-foots it, but Onana reacts quickly to palm the ball away. Big moment for Spurs.
Five minutes into the second half, and Spurs have started with intent (let's face it, they need to).
The away team working the ball around the Ajax half, but no openings.
Second half: We are back underway in Amsterdam, where the hosts are in cruise control so far.
One change for Spurs as striker Fernando Llorente enters the fray for Victor Wanyama.
Spurs need to go all out.
Half-time: Ajax 2-0 Tottenham (agg. 3-0)
The hosts well and truly in control, and with one foot firmly in the final.
The moment Hakim Ziyech put his team into the final?
Wonderful goal from Ajax. They break through van de Beek, who lays the ball into Tadic who then feeds Ziyech on the edge of the box.
The finish is emphatic, whipping the ball left-footed across Lloris and into the net.
Spurs need to score at least 3. That is surely that?
GOAL! AJAX 2-0 TOTTENHAM (AGG. 3-0)
At the half-hour mark in Amsterdam. Ajax have taken their foot off the gas a bit, but they can afford to after that early de Ligt goal. Spurs shading 53% of possession so far, but nothing to show for it.
Chance for Ajax as Wanyama gets his pocket picked in midfield, Tadic breaks down the left but his shot flashes across Lloris and wide.
27 minutes gone, Spurs finding more of a foothold in this game as they press forward. Ajax have lost as bit of that early composure.
Spurs full-back Trippier looks like he's struggling with a thigh injury. Walking gingerly at the moment, that will be a concern for Pochettino.
Chance!
Spurs nick the ball on the half-way line, Dele Alli feeds Son with a lovely pass but the South Korean's poked shot is saved by Onana.
The Lucas Moura has a shot saved. Two decent chances in quick succession for the visitors.
Landmark goal for Ajax:
This young Ajax team really are composed beyond their years. No sign of nerves at all tonight, stroking the ball around, then quickly falling back into a compact block when without the ball.
CTRL+ALT+DE LIGT
The moment the Ajax skipper headed his team into the lead:
15 minutes gone in Amsterdam, all good for Ajax so far. Spurs enjoying a bit more of the ball, but not threatening with it.
Spurs - slow starters
Dele Alli flashes wide for Spurs after being played in by Eriksen, but he's flagged for offisde anyway.
Hits the post!
Spurs almost get one goal back right away, as Son drives down the left and cuts the ball back in a cross-come-shot, which hits the base of the post as Andre Onana is beaten - but the ball rolls clear!
Just five minutes on the clock, and 19-year-old Ajax skipper de Ligt has put his team well and truly in the driving seat. He rose highest from a corner, outjumping Dele Alli to nod past Lloris.
Spurs need to score at least two now...
GOAL! Ajax 1-0 Tottenham (agg. 2-0)
De Ligt puts the hosts ahead early with a header from a corner!
Kick-off: German referee Dr. Felix Brych gives his whistle a blast, and Spurs get us underway in Amsterdam!
The teams are out on the pitch for that all-important Champions League anthem to remind us just what the occasion is.
Ajax playing in their traditional red and white tonight, Spurs in their dark green away kit number.
10-minute warning!
We are fast approaching kick-off at the magnificent Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. We're all set - are you?
As we wrote earlier, Son Heung-min will be vital for Spurs tonight.
The big South Korean has four goals in his last four Champions League games, including two well-taken stikes against Man City.
This is what he's capable of:
The warm-ups are underway in Amsterdam as we are less than 30 minutes until kick-off.
Ajax are skippered by defensive colossus Matthijs de Ligt - just 19 years old but already a well-rounded center back who is sought after by some of Europe's biggest clubs. Will his stock rise even further after tonight?
Can Son shine for Spurs?
Much of Spurs' hopes tonight will rest on the shoulders of South Korean ace Son Heung-min.
Son was the star of the thrilling quarter-final win over Manchester City, but missed the first leg versus Ajax due to suspension.
In the absence of injured skipper and goalscoring machine Harry Kane, Son has frequently been Spurs go-to man to get them out of a hole.
They will need him more than ever tonight to stand any chance of nabbing at least one all-important away goal.
If you fancy a quick read about the rise of the charismatic South Korean, check out our piece here:
Also on rt.com Son Heung-min: 5 things you need to know about S. Korean star who fired Spurs into UCL semisFans massing
The Ajax fans are already massing outside the stadium, making some serious noise. The atmosphere once they get inside will be equally electric.
Good omens for Ajax?
The stats seem to make good reading for Ajax, given their historical semi-final conversion rate and lead heading into the game.
Spurs seem to have it all to do then, but after last night, no one will be taking anything for granted...
The Johan Cruyff Arena
Ajax's home is named after the club legend who helped the Dutch team to three consecutive European Cup titles at the start of the '70s.
Cruyff's legacy of eye-catching, free-flowing football has been honored by this current crop of Ajax talent, who are looking to bring the Champions League title back to Amsterdam for the first time since 1995.
The last time the Dutch club reached the final was the following year, when they lost to Juventus.
Spurs meanwhile are attempting to reach a first ever final at this level.
TEAM NEWS
Some team news to bring you, and first the visitors.
Mauricio Pochettino welcomes back South Korean star Son Heung-min, who missed the first leg due to suspension. The forward will be a massive addition to the ranks, especially given the continued absence of skipper Harry Kane.
Spurs, as ever, will look to former Ajax man Christian Eriksen to pull the strings in midfield. Defender Jan Vertonghen, who was forced off in the first leg after that sickening clash of heads with teammate Tobias Alderweireld, is also back, but will be wearing a protective mask.
For Ajax, manager Erik ten Hag makes just one change from the last leg as Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui comes in at the back for Joel Veltman, who starts on the bench.
WELCOME!
Got your breath back from last night yet?
We’ve only just recovered from that incredible Liverpool comeback against Barcelona, but fingers crossed we will see some equally pulsating drama tonight as Ajax and Spurs meet at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.
A reminder that Ajax are 1-0 to the good on aggregate, after that Donny van de Beek goal in London last week.
It’s still tight, and despite Ajax being on home turf Spurs will fancy their chances of booking a final berth against their Premier League rivals Liverpool on June 1 in Madrid.
An enthralling evening awaits!