Tearful Pochettino hails Spurs 'heroes' after dramatic Champions League semi final win

A tearful Mauricio Pochettino described his Tottenham players as ‘heroes’ after their dramatic victory over Ajax to reach the Champions League final for the first time in their history.

Tottenham were up against it when Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech put the hosts 2-0 ahead on the night, and three goals ahead on aggregate.

But a spirited second-half hat-trick by Lucas Moura put the English club in the final - with his final strike coming deep into added time.

“It’s difficult to talk. The emotion, it’s amazing,” the Spurs boss told BT Sport.

“Thank you football, thanks to these guys, my players. They are heroes.”

Pochettino’s team reached the final in dramatic circumstances and will face fellow Premier League side Liverpool in Madrid on June 1.

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The Argentine was beaming with pride following his side’s scintillating recovery.

“For the last year, I’ve been telling everyone, I have a group of players who are heroes and they showed today,” he added.

”The second half was amazing. This type of emotion, without football, it’s impossible to believe.

“I’m so emotional right now, I want to thank our fans, thanks to those who believed in us at the beginning of the season.

“To achieve this amazing moment, I think it’s fantastic. It’s difficult to describe with words.”

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Lucas Moura was Spurs’ main man on the night scoring a hat trick including the decisive goal in the final minute of stoppage time.

“A superhero,” Pochettino said of the Brazilian. “All heroes but he was a superhero.

“An unbelievable hat-trick. He deserved it. A great guy.”