The first-night reviews were spectacular. “Marvellous,” cooed Tuttosport. “A sober, clinical champion,” was the verdict of La Repubblica. La Gazzetta dello Sport, meanwhile, described him as “a total footballer”. Ultimately, all this will be a footnote to whatever happens at Wembley in three weeks’ time. But perhaps, quietly, this was the night that Italy fell in love with Christian Eriksen.

Partly, of course, you could put this down to a sense of shock. Juventus had not thrown away a two-goal lead since moving to their new stadium seven years ago. In drawing level either side of half-time, Tottenham scored more goals against them in 36 minutes than all their opponents had managed together over the last three months.

But far more striking than the fact of Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at the Juventus Stadium on Tuesday night was the manner in which it occurred. Tottenham made twice as many passes as Juventus, had twice as much of the ball, created more chances, got more shots away. It was a rude awakening for a club that despite its mixed start to the current season, still enjoys an expectation of dominance that verges on entitlement. Simply put, Juventus are not used to being bullied like this.

Perhaps, however, there was another factor at work here. Eriksen turned 26 overnight, an age which paradoxically feels both surprisingly high and surprisingly low. He is one of those eternally youthful, eternally exuberant players who nonetheless feels like he has been around forever. And for those of us immured in the Premier League’s operatic, centrifugal, self-regarding universe, it is easy to overstate Eriksen’s impact on the elite.

This was his 31st match in the Champions League. It is eight years to the week since he played his first, for Ajax. Remarkably, though, it was the first time he had ever graced the knockout stages of the competition. He has never penetrated the later stages of an international tournament; indeed, his Denmark side have not even qualified for one since he was 20. He has never won a domestic trophy outside Holland.

And so in a weird way, it was possible to see the Juventus game as his coming-out party, his debutant’s ball, his first night out in high society.

Spurs improved after switching Eriksen and Lamela (Getty)

The early auguries, it has to be said, were not good. As Tottenham shed two early goals, Eriksen cut a peripheral figure: marooned on the right wing, a playmaker with no play to make. Indeed, you could trace Tottenham’s troubles to the fact that they were not getting Eriksen on the ball enough, a problem Mauricio Pochettino quickly remedied by moving Erik Lamela out to the right and bringing Eriksen deeper, in his favourite role as the No8 in an attacking 4-3-3.

And all of a sudden, 40 yards from goal, with the game spread out before him like a map, Eriksen was in his element. He completed more passes than the entire Juventus midfield combined. He produced a sumptuous ball to provide an early chance to Harry Kane, played a role in the build-up to Kane’s first goal, sprayed passes, slipped passes, slid passes. His 90 per cent success rate, giving the area of the pitch in which he was operating and the difficulty level of some of the passes he was attempting, is the sort of statistic you need to look at several times to truly appreciate.

Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Marco BERTORELLO (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures BASEL, BASEL-STADT - FEBRUARY 13: The Manchester City team line up prior to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between FC Basel and Manchester City at St. Jakob-Park on February 13, 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures BASEL, SWITZERLAND - FEBRUARY 13: The FC Basel team line up prior to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between FC Basel and Manchester City at St. Jakob-Park on February 13, 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images ) Bongarts/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur look dejected after Juventus score a goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at Allianz Stadium on February 13, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' forward from Argentina Gonzalo Higuain celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures BASEL, BASEL-STADT - FEBRUARY 13: The Manchester City team celebrate after Ilkay Gundogan scored the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between FC Basel and Manchester City at St. Jakob-Park on February 13, 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images) Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' forward from Argentina Gonzalo Higuain (2R) is watched by teammate Juventus' defender from Italy Giorgio Chiellini (L) as he celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures BASEL, SWITZERLAND - FEBRUARY 13: Bernardo Silva of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his sides second goal with Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between FC Basel and Manchester City at St. Jakob-Park on February 13, 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images ) Bongarts/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' forward from Argentina Gonzalo Higuain (R) is watched by teammate Juventus' defender from Italy Giorgio Chiellini (L) as he celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' forward from Argentina Gonzalo Higuain (R) is watched by teammate Juventus' defender from Italy Giorgio Chiellini (L) as he celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Manchester City's Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between Basel and Manchester City at the Saint Jakob-Park Stadium in Basel on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / SEBASTIEN BOZON (Photo credit should read SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur passes the ball during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at Allianz Stadium on February 13, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane looks towards the ball during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Marco BERTORELLO (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures BASEL, SWITZERLAND - FEBRUARY 13: Bernardo Silva of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between FC Basel and Manchester City at St. Jakob-Park on February 13, 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images ) Bongarts/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Marco BERTORELLO (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures BASEL, SWITZERLAND - FEBRUARY 13: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his sides third goal with Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City and Bernardo Silva of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between FC Basel and Manchester City at St. Jakob-Park on February 13, 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images ) Bongarts/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tottenham Hotspur's Argentinian midfielder Erik Lamela looks on during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Marco BERTORELLO (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images) Getty Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' goalkeeper from Italy Gianluigi Buffon (L) reacts next to Tottenham Hotspur's English midfielder Dele Alli during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Marco BERTORELLO (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Manchester City's Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho (2nd R) vies for the ball with Basel's Swiss defender Leo Lacroix (C) during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between Basel and Manchester City at the Saint Jakob-Park Stadium in Basel on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / SEBASTIEN BOZON (Photo credit should read SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' defender from Italy Giorgio Chiellini controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' coach from Italy Massimiliano Allegri shouts from the touchline during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Marco BERTORELLO (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Manchester City's Argentinian forward Sergio Aguero (C) runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between Basel and Manchester City at the Saint Jakob-Park Stadium in Basel on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Sebastien Bozon (Photo credit should read SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' forward from Brazil Douglas Costa (R) fights for the ball with Tottenham Hotspur's Colombian defender Davinson Sanchez during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: Gonzalo Higuain of Juventus misses a penalty kick as Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur attempts to save during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at Allianz Stadium on February 13, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' forward from Croatia Mario Mandzukic (L) speaks with referee Felix Brych during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Juventus' defender from Italy Giorgio Chiellini watches the ball during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Marco BERTORELLO (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tottenham Hotspur's Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Manchester City's Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva (L) celebrates with Manchester City's Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho (R) and Manchester City's Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (C) after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between Basel and Manchester City at the Saint Jakob-Park Stadium in Basel on February 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / SÃ©bastien BOZON (Photo credit should read SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures Tuesday's Champions League action in pictures BASEL, BASEL-STADT - FEBRUARY 13: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City holds his leg during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between FC Basel and Manchester City at St. Jakob-Park on February 13, 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) Getty Images

Then, with 20 minutes remaining, Eriksen stood over a free-kick. The wall lined up in front of the right half of the goal; Gigi Buffon stationed himself on the left. At Wembley on Saturday, Petr Cech of Arsenal had positioned himself similarly. Eriksen had gone over the wall, and Cech had saved. He was not going to make the same mistake twice.

“I saw that to go over the wall would be very difficult,” he said. “When I went up to the ball, the whole wall moved, and fortunately he did as well.”

Pochettino was delighted with the Dane's performance (Getty)

That capacity for learning, for development, for growth, was also the quality that Mauricio Pochettino picked out when asked to discuss Eriksen’s performance. “Amazing game,” he gushed. “He was outstanding. But Christian, in my three years nine months, has always been important for us. Always stepping up, growing up. He represents our philosophy. He is a player who links the team. The team was great. But he was fantastic.”

The next few years - the 26-30 period - should theoretically be Eriksen’s peak years. If he continues to develop at this rate - and no guarantees on that score, of course, but if - then he is capable of doing it all. It bears repeating: this was his first ever Champions League knockout game. And that was how he played it.