BERNE, (Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur completed a stunning fightback against Young Boys thanks to a Peter Crouch hat-trick, while Luis Suarez helped Ajax Amsterdam reach the Champions League group stage with a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev yesterday.
Tottenham’s 4-0 win over the Swiss team at White Hart Lane took them through 6-3 on aggregate in a tie which they had trailed 3-0 in last week’s first leg.
They were given a helping hand yesterday when Jermain Defoe clearly used his arm to control the ball before firing the second goal which effectively put the game out of the Swiss team’s reach, an offence missed by the referee and his four assistants.
Ajax, who won three successive European Cup titles in their heyday and a fourth title in 1995, overcame Dynamo 3-2 on aggregate to reach the group stage for the first time since 2005-06 – the last occasion their opponents failed to qualify.
Uruguay forward Suarez put the Dutch team ahead in the 43rd minute and Morocco’s Mounir El Hamdaoui added a second but there was a tense finish after former AC Milan and Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko pulled one back with an 84th minute penalty.
Slovakian champions Zilina reached the group stage for the first time, beating Sparta Prague 1-0 to complete a 3-0 aggregate win.
FC Copenhagen went through on away goals, beating Rosenborg Trondheim 1-0 for a 2-2 aggregate draw, and Auxerre beat Zenit St Petersburg 2-0 to qualify 2-1 on aggregate.