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Champions League moments - Hugo Lloris

Tue 28 May 2019, 11:15|Tottenham Hotspur

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Most of the magical moments on our journey to the Champions League Final are goals. Harry Kane's double against PSV, Christian Eriksen's late winner against Inter, Lucas Moura's equaliser at Barcelona, the second half treble against Borussia Dortmund, Heung-Min Son's three goals over two legs against City and of course, Lucas' hat-trick at Ajax.

There is one save, however, that is just as important, just as memorable as those goals.

Where would be without Hugo Lloris' intervention from the penalty spot against Manchester City in the quarter-final, first leg?

It helped the team stay in the game and probably gave the team an extra boost in that fantastic atmosphere at our new stadium

Hugo Lloris

Champions League moments - Hugo denies Aguero

Spurs 1-0 City - quarter-final first leg - new stadium - 9 April

The stage was set. The first Champions League match at our new stadium. And what a match - the quarter-final, first leg against quadruple-chasing City.

Excitement reached fever pitch at the teams came out and we heard the famous Champions League anthem for the first time.

Would the game match the occasion. You bet! And in hindsight, one of the biggest moments in the tie arrived on 12 minutes. Danny Rose threw himself in to block Raheem Sterling's shot. The ball went our for a corner. There were no penalty appeals but VAR spotted something and after reviewing the action, referee Bjorn Kuipers pointed to the spot.

Sergio Aguero stepped up. One of the deadliest strikers in the world football. But this was the skipper's moment. Hugo Lloris read the spot-kick, went to his left and parried away. That was his third penalty save on the trot after Premier League saves against Jame Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - another vital stop against Arsenal.

The night bristled in the new stadium. Both teams had chances, but nothing too clear-cut. Heung-Min Son was starting to find his range, but then we lost Harry Kane to injury. Would that be a telling blow for the team?

Hugo denies Aguero from the spot

Up stepped Sonny. With 12 minutes remaining, the South Korean star kept Christian Eriksen's pass in on the right byline, stepped inside Fabian Delph and fired low past Ederson.

Advantage Spurs.

Reflecting on his penalty save, Hugo recalled: "At that moment, the penalty, there is a always a bit of luck. To pick the right side, to read the player and look, it was a key moment in that game.

"It was early and if he had scored that penalty maybe the game would have changed and the scenario of this confrontation would have been different.

"It helped the team stay in the game and probably gave the team an extra boost in that fantastic atmosphere at our new stadium. We got the result that helped the team go through because we knew to not concede a goal against City at home would give us a chance to believe about the qualification and then it was even more after Sonny scored his fantastic goal."

Watch the highlights from our 1-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg-win over Manchester City in April, 2019

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