[ad_1]
VILLARREAL, Spain (Reuters) –Liverpool Liverpool’s game could have been detrimental to Juergen Klopp’s side after they pulled off a thrilling first-half win to beat Villarreal 3-2 on Tuesday, winning 5-2 on aggregate and reaching the Champions League final.
The visiting team had a lackluster first half, trailing 0-2, but scored three goals in 12 minutes in the second half to advance to their third European Cup final in five seasons.
The Premier League side won 2-0 in England but looked in danger of being beaten on a rain-soaked pitch in Spain as the hosts equalised through goals from Brady and Francis Coquelin.
LiverpoolHowever, Villarreal suddenly changed their strategy after the half-time break, with goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane sealing the win, and Etienne Capoue was sent off in the dying minutes of the game, with Villarreal eventually finishing the game with 10 men.
Klopp’s side will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final in Paris on May 28, with the two teams set to play the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday. City lead 4-3 from the first leg.
To the cheers of the packed faithful, Villarreal opened the scoring three minutes into the match with a close-range shot from Dia, with the home fans chanting “We can do it!”.
Villarreal were lifeless in the first leg at Anfield but when they scored Liverpool They eliminated Juventus in the round of 16 and defeated Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, playing in a similarly aggressive style.
Their relentless pressure forced Liverpool The visitors made mistakes they normally wouldn’t make and had a pass accuracy rate of 66%, the lowest in the first half of any match this season.
Villarreal equalized the score with Coquelin’s close-range header, and it seemed like a miracle was about to happen.
The home team even had a penalty appeal turned down by referee Danny Makelli in the 38th minute. Liverpool Goalkeeper Alisson Becker came out to intercept the ball before slamming it past Giovani Lo Celso in the penalty area.
Diaz Impact
However, Klopp brought on Diaz off the bench at half-time and the in-form Colombian winger changed the complexion of the game, finding space and taking chances when Villarreal seemed to be running out of steam.
As Liverpool As the pressure mounted, it seemed only a matter of time before they scored, and the goal finally came thanks to some great work from Fabinho and Mohamed Salah down the right.
The Brazilian midfielder snatched up a loose ball near the Villarreal penalty area, dribbled past two defenders and then played a one-two with the Egyptian.
Salah threaded the ball between three defenders and fired a low-angle shot that went between the legs of Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who had a tough game.
Liverpool In the 67th minute of the game, Diaz led the charge into the middle of the penalty area and easily headed Alexander-Arnold’s cross into the goal, the ball flying past the goalkeeper. Diaz smelled blood and headed straight for the goal.
Seven minutes later, Rulli attempted to clear a long pass to Mane outside the box but completely missed the ball, leaving the Senegalese striker alone to slot the ball into an empty net.
Capoue played well in the first half, providing two assists, but was sent off with five minutes remaining after receiving a second yellow card for a challenge on Curtis Jones in the dying seconds of the game.
“The early goal conceded didn’t help us much but it helped them a lot, so we had to be at full strength and we had to be very mature. Obviously, we played really well in the second half.” Liverpool said centre-back Virgil van Dijk, adding that Klopp had given them clear instructions at half-time.
“(We need to) play football, play Liverpool Just like we’ve been playing basically all season. Get the ball, move it a lot, but behind the last line of defense, they play a high line, so with our speed, we have to mix it up as well,” he said.
[ad_2]
Source link
