The unexpected happened in the Champions League as the tables turned on the leading teams in the second legs of the two Semifinal matches. These games were to determine the two teams to head on to the finals and face off to determine the best squad of Europe. In the first leg of the clash between AFC Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax prevailed by one point giving them an advantage in the second leg. Meanwhile, Barcelona managed to attain a lead of 3 goals against Liverpool, who seemed powerless against 5-time-Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and Uruguayan International Luis Suarez. However both games resulted in an upset as the seemingly dominant teams fell in the second leg.
In arguably one of the most unexpected comebacks in Champions League history, Liverpool scored 4 goals in the second leg to beat Barcelona and head to the finals. With strong determination to make a comeback, Liverpool started off strong as Belgian forward Divock Origi scored from a rebound off the goalkeeper in the 7th minute. Due to an aggressive play from Suarez, Andrew Robertson of Liverpool was substituted out for Georginio Wijnaldum. Nonetheless, these actions by Suarez turned on him as the dutch midfielder scored two goals at the start of the second half. Finally, to defeat Barcelona and seal Liverpool’s win at Anfield, Origi scored from a corner assist. With Liverpool stars Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino’s absence, the English team seemed likely to not be on their best game. Nevertheless, Wijnaldum and Origi’s braces paved Liverpool's way to the final. One the other hand, the forwards of Barca were incapable of scoring throughout the game as Liverpool maintained a strong defense. For FC Barcelona, this game marked a humiliating loss, allowing Liverpool to win 4-3 in aggregate and head to the finals instead of them.
After such an unexpected comeback, the last thing fans would expect was another one. Nevertheless, these expectations were crushed as Tottenham, like Liverpool, won despite the disadvantage and headed to the finals. However, unlike Liverpool, Tottenham did not have a strong start. As Ajax established a three goal lead in aggregate when Matthias de Ligt scored from a corner and Ziyech finished an assist during the first half, the Spurs were unable to score a single goal. All hope seemed lost and the end of their Champions League win streak seemed inevitable until Brazilian winger Lucas Moura scored 3 goals over the duration of the second half displaying his quick footwork by ripping through the Ajax defense. The last goal, scored at the 96th minute, sealed Tottenham’s victory as they headed to the finals by a win on away goals.
The UEFA Champions League Final is set to take place on 1 June and is going to be be the first one since 2014 where neither Barcelona star Messi nor his rival Cristiano Ronaldo with hold the trophy. Due to these star’s absence other players can be seen standing out from others, whose performances are top notch. These players will form the new rivalries of the next generation as Messi and Ronaldo’s five year streak comes to an end.
Comments