For the third time in five years, Liverpool reached the final of the Champions League. The 2019 triumphant had to tremble in the 3-2 semi-final second leg at Villarreal because the 2-0 lead from the first duel was lost after 41 minutes.
“We had eleven problems in the first half, if you will,” said coach Jürgen Klopp pointedly, as usual. However, twelve magical minutes after the break paved the way to the final on May 28 in Paris: Fabinho scored the 1-2 (62′), substitute Luis Diaz equalized (67′), Sadio Mane scored as in the first leg (75′). ). “The way we reacted was special,” said the German and reported on his speech in the dressing room: “A bit of a tactics board, a bit of an explanation of where we want to go.”
Before the Champions League final, Liverpool can lift the FA Cup against Chelsea on May 15, and on May 22, the last day of the Premier League, the “Reds” could still be a point ahead of Manchester City passed. With each win, the four potential titles come closer and the chance to turn a strong season into a historic one.
“I don’t have to do much”
The questions about the so-called quadruple, which no team on the island has succeeded in doing, are becoming more frequent. “It’s just nonsense with this quadruple crap,” said Klopp. He doesn’t want to let the possible successes get too close to him: “The excitement is there, I don’t have to do much. We play every game that was possible on the schedule.”
Despite the exit, Villarreal left the field with their heads held high. “We can be proud of tonight. We believed in ourselves to the end,” declared goalscorer Gerard Moreno after the final whistle. “The first half was incredible, one of the best of the season for sure. The match went the way we wanted it to, but the physical effort was noticeable. And they’re just really, really good.”
The Spanish sports newspaper “Marca” saw a “heroic deed” from the 2021 Europa League winner. “What Villarreal did is football history. That’s it, but nobody will forget the first half. Not even Klopp himself.” Klopp’s counterpart Unai Emery, who has long been considered an expert for knockout phases thanks to his Europa League victories, also took a lot of positive things with him: “We showed that we didn’t come here without reason.” Among other things, the “yellow submarine” sank Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Liverpool’s opponent in the final was determined yesterday in the duel between Real Madrid and Manchester City (first leg 3:4). The game was still in progress when this issue went to press.
Source: Nachrichten
