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Champions League Review: Liverpool hold on and Madrid win ugly to set up showpiece final
Liverpool are still in the hunt for their sixth Champions League title, as they reached their first final in 11 years. They lost 4-2 on the evening to Roma, although they controlled the game for the majority.
Eusebio Di Francesco had clearly learnt from last week, as he moved to a back four and ensured his defensive line wasn’t as high. Roma started brightly, with Alessandro Florenzi fashioning the best opportunity which Loris Karius watched fly wide.
Radja Nainggolan’s poor inside pass went straight to Roberto Firmino with just nine minutes on the clock. The Brazilian carried the ball before slipping in Sadio Mane to finish comfortably for his 19thgoal of the season.
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Roma hadn’t conceded a home Champions League goal this season until that moment. However, they were almost immediately back in the tie when an unfortunate sliced clearance from Dejan Lovren hit James Milner in the face and ricocheted into the net.
Liverpool have never been beaten when they have taken a three-goal advantage into a second leg. They restored their lead on the night, when Edin Dzeko’s header fell straight to Georginio Wijnaldum to head past Alisson.
It was the first away goal that the former Newcastle United midfielder had scored for the club. The Dutchman was the only change to the line-up from Anfield, as he replaced the injured Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Ten minutes before the interval, Stephan El Shaarawy’s shot took another deflection off Milner, but this time the England midfielder was fortunate to see it hit the outside of the post. The former Milan attacker caused some significant issues in the left channel.
Dzeko was ruled offside just minutes after the restart, with Karius clumsily taking both him and Trent Alexander-Arnold. El Shaarawy then had a shot pushed into the path of Dzeko by the Liverpool goalkeeper and the Bosnian forward made it 2-2.
It still meant that Roma needed another three in order to take the encounter into extra-time. Liverpool had a bit of fortune when Alexander-Arnold’s hand denied El Shaarawy, but referee Damir Skomina wasn’t interested in the protests.
Nainggolan struck a superb finish with just minutes remaining, although the Belgian’s limited celebration suggested he didn’t truly believe, but he added his second in stoppage time from the penalty spot to put a little doubt in the travelling fan’s minds. However, Liverpool held on to reach the European Cup final for only the eighth time in their history.
Madrid find a way to defeat spirited Bayern
Real Madrid qualified for their fourth Champions League final in five years, but they certainly had to experience the full range of emotions. The 2-1 win in Germany had put them in a commanding position, although they were second best for even larger spells in this game.
Bayern Munich gave it their all and produced an overall better performance than at the Allianz Arena. However, the lack of clinical finishing across the two legs has cost them their place in Kiev.
The Bavarians had a dream start when Sergio Ramos failed to effectively clear a cross into the box with an aerial backheel in the 3rd minute. Corentin Tolisso saw the ball bounce off him into the path of Joshua Kimmich, who immediately finished the loose ball.
Karim Benzema drew the teams level eight minutes later when Marcelo’s quality cross into the back post was headed in by the Frenchman. The forward had been left out of the team in the first fixture, but he was keen to show that he isn’t just a foil for his strike partner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Zinedine Zidane opted to utilse Lucas Vazquez at right-back with Daniel Carvajal unavailable. The winger had occupied the role in the closing stages last week, but he struggled with the combination of Franck Ribery and David Alaba throughout the match.
Robert Lewandowski had a shout for a penalty waved away, whilst Thomas Muller prodded in an attempt towards Keylor Navas. With a third of the game gone, Navas saved with his feet from Lewandowski, but James Rodriguez couldn’t keep the ball down with his follow-up effort against his parent side.
Bayern dominated the midfield area with Tolisso and James taking up some clever positions between the lines, however, Ronaldo’s shot nearly squeezed past goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to remind Bayern of their ability to change games without playing anywhere near their maximum.
Madrid were gifted a goal at the start of the second half when Ulreich couldn’t decide whether to handle or kick Tolisso’s backpass and in the end did neither, as he slid past the ball. It meant that Benzema had to simply tap it into an empty net.
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Ronaldo then missed a golden opportunity to finish the tie, but Bayern kept on plugging away. James made it level on the night, when his initial shot was blocked by Raphael Varane, but the Colombian pounced on the rebound.
The Bundesliga champions knew that one goal would send them through on the away goals rule, with half-an-hour still to go. Navas produced a good save to deny Tolisso and then kept out a header from Muller.
Bayern piled on the pressure, but the Los Blancos shot-stopper was outstanding in the final 45 minutes as he commanded his area. It was the third time since Bayern won the tournament in 2013 that Madrid had eliminated them.
At the conclusion, Ulreich sat on his own 15 yards outside the penalty area contemplating his horrendous error which cost so dearly. The replacement for the injured Manuel Neuer has received plaudits from his manager and teammates alike this year, so it was a cruel twist of fate.
“You have to suffer in football,” said Zidane after the game. “You can’t reach a final without suffering and it’s even better like this.
“Well, maybe not for the heart. But it is.”
“There aren’t many people who go on an adventure like this at 72,” admitted Bayern boss Juup Heynckes on his final European match. “But I’m disappointed because the players have not got the reward they deserved.”
