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The Spurs boss questions his team's spectacular victory in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but warns its players
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said his team's spectacular victory in the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City was a "reward for the universe".
The London club have qualified for the semi-finals of the first European competition for the first time since 1962, after a remarkable return match at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Although Tottenham was beaten 4-3 in the night, he advanced on goals after a 4-4 draw.
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However, it only tells half of the story, while Raheem Sterling seems to win the game for City out of play, but the goal is discarded after a VAR exam.
Pochettino said after returning to his training ground in the capital, "We are all tired. But an amazing night, crazy and amazing.
"I believe in the universe. In November, it was not destiny. At the beginning of the season, no one thought that fate would reward us. And five years ago, no one thought we would be here. You have to work hard to be rewarded by the universe. "
When asked what went through his mind when Sterling had beaten Hugo Lloris in stoppage time and apparently eliminated Tottenham from the competition, the Argentinean admitted that it was the lowest moment of his managerial career.
"I threw my jacket, threw my sweater and went to sit next to Jesus [Perez] and Toni Jimenez, "said the 47-year-old. "It was so fast. There were many bad feelings and bad ideas.
"Right now, yes, of course [it was the lowest moment of his career]. It was going to be a mbadive emotional situation.
"We would have been very disappointed. At this point, you start thinking, "Why?" You think about this action in which Christian Eriksen played the pbad. "Why not play ahead?" I went through the action, the decision, in my head. How was I going to deal with the players? The fans? Guys?
"All these scenarios happened so quickly in my mind. And then I heard the voice of Jesus saying, "Oh, maybe that's offside, VAR checks out," and at that moment I was alive again. I understand the situation on the city bench; from the top of the world, disappointed. It's amazing, the emotion we experienced was amazing.
This win means Tottenham will face Ajax in the semi-finals. The Netherlands enter this phase of the competition for the first time since 1996, after a great run that has allowed them to knock out Real Madrid and Juventus in successive rounds.
And Pochettino insists that these results mean that Tottenham should not be considered the favorite when he faces the Dutch giants despite their heroic exploits against City.
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"We must be humble, of course, because beating City, no one was expecting it, it can give a huge belief," he added.
"But if you're not smart enough to handle this in a good way, you can make a mistake: this victory can weaken you. It's so important to respect Ajax. They beat Real Madrid and Juventus, so they are more favorites than us – it's a reality.
"They are not bigger favorites than us, they are at the same level. We must respect them. "
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