7 minutes were played at the Anfield Stadium when 53,000 fans stood up, applauded for 60 seconds and loudly sang the legendary Liverpool FC anthem, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. This great gesture also gave neutral TV consumers goosebumps. It was for an absentee, an opponent, a player from Liverpool’s eternal rivals Manchester United with shirt number 7.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s stroke of fate brings out the unifying power of football. The 37-year-old superstar and his partner Georgina Rodriguez are mourning the loss of their son who died after giving birth to twins. “Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to have some hope and cheerfulness at this moment,” the parents wrote on social media.
Words of comfort and expressions of condolence from all over the world accompany the family, Ronaldo understandably canceled his appearance in the English Premier League hit. His team missed him everywhere. Manchester United slipped into a 4-0 debacle that dashed hopes of a successful Champions League qualification. Liverpool, on the other hand, remains in the title race. The coach of the “Reds”, Jürgen Klopp, wanted to talk less about the highly one-sided match than about this one special minute. “All rivalries aside. It was really a demonstration of class – the whole stadium together. It was a moment when everyone knew that there are so many things in life that are more important than football,” said the German, whose team a veritable firework display.
Luis Diaz (5th), Mohammed Salah (22nd, 85th) and Sadio Mane (68th) took apart the overwhelmed United defense with every trick in the book, in midfield Thiago was the outstanding director. Much to the annoyance of Manchester coach Ralf Rangnick. “It’s embarrassing, humiliating and absolutely disappointing but we have to accept that Liverpool are six years ahead of us.” United icon Roy Keane was also shaken. “This is not the club I played for.”
Source: Nachrichten
