LONDON — In those last few minutes on Wednesday, as Tottenham Hotspur threw all it had at Juventus in one last, desperate attempt to remain in the Champions League, something came over the gnarled veterans at the heart of Juventus’s defense.

Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini should have been furrowing their brows, gritting their teeth, clinging by their fingernails. In the far corner of Wembley Stadium, their visiting fans were singing and bouncing, nervously, as if to distract themselves from the overwhelming tension.

Tottenham, after all, possesses one of the English Premier League’s best attacking units: the power of Harry Kane, the wit of Heung-Min Son and Christian Eriksen, the menace of Dele Alli. With his team down by 2-1 at Wembley, behind by 4-3 on aggregate, Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham’s coach, had sent Erik Lamela and Fernando Llorente into the mix, too. There was nothing left to lose.

And so Tottenham hurled wave after wave of attack at Juventus.

For 165 of the 180 minutes of this round of 16 tie, Tottenham had seemed faster, fitter, sharper and stronger. Its energy and its dynamism had made Juventus — apparently ageless for so long — look suddenly old. Son had tormented Barzagli to such an extent that the defender had resorted to some of the darker arts to try to quiet him. Kane dared to stand up to Chiellini, and seemed to have the better of him. Alli roamed freely in the space their battle vacated.