Tottenham Hotspur forward Lucas Moura has admitted he ‘cried a lot’ after last season’s defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League final.
Spurs were beaten 2-0 in the final in Madrid in May, with goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi helping to secure the Reds sixth crown in the competition.
The evening proved to be an extremely frustrating one for Tottenham who after conceding an early and controversial penalty, struggled to turn their dominance in the game into goals, primarily due to a superb performance from Alisson Becker.
Lucas was forced to watch most of the game from the bench, replacing Harry Winks in the 66th minute, and admits the result hit him particularly hard.
“It was a blow to be on the bench in the final,” he told Esporte Interativo.
“That moment was the culmination of my career, that ecstasy for what had happened in the semi-finals.
“I believed very much that we would be champion. It hurt a lot to lose that title. I cried a lot.
“But then, after the sadness, I just have to be thankful for the season I had. Not even defeat in the final will erase the beauty of the season.”
Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to leave Lucas sitting on the bench was a surprising one for many given the Brazilian had almost singlehandedly got Tottenham to the final in the first place.
It was his hattrick in the second leg of the semi-final against Ajax, the third of which came with the last touch of the game in a stunning win in Amsterdam, that had gotten Spurs to Madrid.
That goal was arguably the most significant moment of the forward’s career, and he admits it still gives him goosebumps to talk about it now.
“After the first leg against Ajax I was still convinced (they’d make the final),” he added.
“Pochettino said we needed a goal to get back into the game. We did the first one right at the start and the other one in the sequence.
“We had 30 minutes to score a goal. The impossible had already become possible. But I didn’t think it would be the last second of the game.
“At the end of the game, I thought to stay close to the area and see what happened. Llorente knocked it on, Alli took a touch, and I kicked what I saw in front of me.
“It still gives me goosebumps to talk about it now. I didn’t know what to do in the celebration. It was a crazy thing to do. Only football can give you that rush.?
