Lucas: “We gave everything, we must be proud of that”
Thu 27 October 2022, 14:15|
Tottenham Hotspur
Lucas Moura knows all about dramatic finales in the UEFA Champions League and feels the team can be proud of the second half display that almost got us over the line and into the knockout stage of this season's competition as it ended 1-1 against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday evening.
The Brazil forward who famously scored a hat-trick at Ajax to take us into the Champions League Final in 2019 – including an injury time winner - conceded the team was ‘very passive’ as we fell behind in the first half of a match where victory would have guaranteed our progress and, as results panned out, top spot in Group D.
That all changed as we ramped it up in the second half. Lucas, back after injury and in for his first start of the campaign, helped drive us forward, alongside the tireless Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield, and an eye-catching cameo off the bench from Bryan Gil.
Rodrigo rose superbly to head home the equaliser on 80 minutes and as we piled on the pressure, Eric Dier went close twice and Heung-Min Son forced a save from Antonio Adan. It looked like we’d done it when Harry Kane planted home close range in the final seconds, only for the jubilation to be cut short by VAR, who ruled the goal out for offside.
I love playing football, I love playing for Tottenham so, for me, being out has been very, very difficult
Despite the disappointment, we remain top of Group D after Eintracht Frankfurt beat Marseille and a draw in our final group game in Marseille on Tuesday evening (8pm) will be enough to see us through to the Round of 16.
“We need to be happy because of the second half, the spirit was completely different from the first half,” said Lucas. “We gave everything. I think we must be proud. We could, of course, have won the game, but this is football.
“The first half we didn’t do well, we were very passive, but the second half was completely different. We put up our intensity, we pressed them high and completely controlled the game. It was good. We even missed more opportunities.
“Like I said, this is football. The most important thing is to have in our minds that we gave everything. We must be proud of that, no regrets.”
As always, Lucas gave his all on his return to the starting line-up after a tendon issue sidelined him for two months from 14 August until his return on 12 October. It was a frustrating time for a player who has always been there for us, whether starting, off the bench or in the matchday squad – he featured in 191 of our 221 matches from the start of 2018/19 to the end of last season.
He added: “It has been a difficult time for me, two months out, not easy. I love playing football, I love playing for Tottenham so, for me, being out has been very, very difficult.
“We know sometimes it happens in our careers and we have to be strong in our minds. Now, I’m happy to be back. I feel good. I’m not 100 per cent, but I’ll reach my best level if I get more game time, playing every game off the bench or in the starting X1, this is the best way to be ready. The most important thing is that I feel good, my tendon is good and now I need to give my best, as I always did.”
