Inter Milan forced extra time against Tottenham with a stunning three goal comeback but Emmanuel Adebayor was the hero for Spurs, as his goal in extra time allowed his side to advance on away goals.
Despite losing 4-1 and being forced into extra time thanks to a massive comeback from Inter Milan, Tottenham held on to advance to the Europa League quarterfinal thanks to an Emmanuel Adebayor goal in the extra time and the away goal rule.
Inter may have been 3-0 down going into the match but that didn't stop them from putting some heavy pressure on Tottenham early.
Antonio Cassano was a particular thorn in the Spurs defense's side, firing several warning shots across Spurs proverbial bow before breaking through with the opening goal in he 20th minute.
In the 13th minute Cassano got free down the right side and forced a save from Brad Friedel. It wasn't really too threatening but it was a sign of things to come. Five minutes later Cassano got tangled up with William Gallas in the penalty area and made a loud shout for a penalty call that was ignore by the referee.
In the 20th minute Inter scored after Rodrigo Palacio made a nice run down the right and found Cassano at the far post completely unmarked. Cassano pounded the ball off the ground with a vicious header, sending the ball into the top of the net past Friedel.
Inter nearly scored a second in the 26th minute when Cassano found Palacio in the Spurs area. The striker beat Friedel with the always popular cheeky chip shot but the ball hit off the crossbar. In retrospect he probably should have just hammered it home.
The other possibility is that the miss was punishment by the soccer gods for that creepy rat-tail thing on the back of his head...just throwing that out there.
Emmanuel Adebayor had a lovely chance in first half stoppage time to grab a goal for Spurs but his shot never looked on target and ended up on top of the net.
It only took seven minutes into the second half for Inter to crank up the pressure on Spurs even more. Palacio made up for his earlier miss getting behind Gallas and sprinting in one-on-one and beating Friedel to the far post to make it 2-0 for the Italians.
At this point you knew Inter would get a third goal and sure enough in the 75th minute they did. Kyle Walker brought down Javier Zanetti about 20-yards from goal, giving Inter a dangerous set piece opportunity. Cassano's free kick deflected off the wall and William Gallas attempted a back-hell clearance that re-directed the ball into the net. Just like that it was 3-0 and Spurs' aggregate lead was gone.
Kyle Naughton had a splendid chance to save the win for Spurs in the 85th minute, unleashing a wicked shot from outside the area that was pushed away by a diving Samir Handanovic. Just a fantastic save.
Five minutes into stoppage time Spurs finally got the away goal they've been searching for all game. Mousa Dembele's shot from the left side was saved by Handanovic but he left a meaty rebound that Adebayor was able to reach, sliding on his backside and pushing the ball into the empty net.
The goal left Inter with 25 minutes to score twice and removed the possibility of penalty kicks.
In the 110th minute Inter got the first of the two goals they needed when Cassano put a well placed ball towards the near post where Ricardo Alvarez directed the ball on frame with a diving header. The ball went off Friedel's hand and into the net, leaving Inter within one goal of completing two massive comeback in one match.
Sadly for the Italians they couldn't find the fifth goal they required and Spurs held on, advancing on away goals.
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