Following the dramatic 3-4 win at Manchester City, which will give Tottenham Hotspur a place in the Champions League semi-finals, Spurs strategist Christian Eriksen is particularly relieved. Pep Guardiola claims to have seen Fernando Llorente play a handball, but Benjamin Mendy can’t explain the failures in the premier class. Meanwhile Jürgen Klopp does not yet want to think about a certain Lionel Messi.
SOCCERSCORE has collected the voices and reactions to the two goal-rich games.
Pep Guardiola (Coach City): “Yes, it is hard. Cruel, actually, but we have to accept it. It was a great game for the audience. 3:2 after 20 minutes, that’s not normal. In the second half we tried everything and scored enough goals, but we have to congratulate Tottenham and wish them all the best for the semi-finals. I’m proud, especially of the fans. I’ve never seen the stadium like this before. We’re sorry for her, but football is unpredictable and unfortunately we’re no further.”
… about Llorente’s goal: “I’m a supporter of the VAR, but from another perspective Fernando Llorente’s goal is a handball. From the referee’s point of view, maybe it wasn’t.”
… about the Premier League championship race: “We have to show the right reaction on Saturday. But now we can’t think too much. We have to sleep as much as we can and then prepare for the game. We fought hard for the league for almost ten months. It’s in our hands. It’s going to be hard, but we have to make it.”
Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City): “It’s terrible to quit like this. Now we have to focus on the championship. What’s missing? We haven’t found the right recipe yet. Tonight will be difficult, but in a few days we’ll have picked ourselves up again.”
Mauricio Pochettino (coach Tottenham Hotspur): “Unbelievable how the game ended. I’m so happy, so proud. This is the first time we’ve ever reached the semi-finals. My players are heroes. Today we showed character. Are we a big team in Europe? It’s hard to compare with the other greats. We have to win titles for that. Ajax will be a great challenge.”
Hugo Lloris (goalkeeper Tottenham): “I don’t know if we are the favourite (against Ajax), I wouldn’t go that far. You don’t just beat Juve like that.”
Heung-Min Son (double goalscorer Tottenham): “It was totally crazy, I’ve never experienced anything like it before. We let them come back into the game, but then we fought great. I’m proud of my teammates. Sometimes you get angry with VAR, but today we have to thank you.”
… about his yellow barrier: “I didn’t know (that a yellow barrier threatens me.) It’s very, very bad that I won’t be in the first game.”
Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur) about his loss of ball before the supposed 5:3: “Today I am the happiest person on the planet. I thought it was over. It was a roller coaster ride. We have to take a deep breath first.”
Jürgen Klopp (coach FC Liverpool): “I can’t believe we’re in the semi-finals again. That’s crazy and a big statement. I’m proud of the boys. Now it’s Barcelona, but we’re looking forward to it. We’ll figure something out about her. But now I don’t care, now we’re in the semifinals and on Sunday Cardiff is waiting. Thank God I don’t have to think about stopping Messi tonight. Nobody’s ever done that before.”
Jordan Henderson (captain FC Liverpool): “The result is a bit flattering. Porto was very strong.”
Sergio Conceicao (coach FC Porto): “The support from the ranks was incredible. The result was too high. My players were fantastic, but they didn’t graduate. The first goal against came out of nowhere. If we’d scored a goal, it could have gone really well for us. We have done our part in Europe: Last year we were in the round of sixteen, this time we were among the best eight teams in Europe.
