Battling until the end is a key part of our game, says relieved Klopp
CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE
The Reds boss added: “We had to do a few changes because we had no other options but we wanted to do some other changes which meant we left Trent, Bobby and Sadio (Mane) off.
“I didn’t see it go in because there were so many players in front of me but I saw the reaction of the goalkeeper so I could start celebrating.”
Of another late, winning intervention Klopp added: “Staying on track is part of our game so I don’t think we can plan it but we should not think it is impossible.”
Monterrey, the CONCACAF Champions League winners, made life difficult for a below-par Liverpool but there were mitigating factors as illness to Virgil Van Dijk meant Joe Gomez was the one fit centre-back and the hole left by the Dutchman was filled by midfielder Jordan Henderson.
It was far from ideal but Klopp had little option with Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum all injured and youngsters Ki-Jana Hoever and Sepp Van Den Berg en route from England after their Carabao Cup exploits.
Liverpool were disjointed and reliant on goalkeeper Alisson Becker for a number of saves.
At the other end Mohamed Salah, relishing playing in front of a mainly Arabic crowd, pulled the strings.
“The attention Salah gets in this part of the country is massive and I thought he played sensationally and dealt really well with it,” said Klopp.
“Until the last minute he was there for the balls in behind. They tried to defend him with two guys from time to time and be really aggressive. I was really happy with Mo’s game.”
Salah was not happy with some of the close attention he received, however.
“I think it was a very tough game, they were very disciplined against us and all of us were feeling our legs,” he said.
“They were very aggressive and the referee didn’t protect us too much but I’m not here to complain about it.”
Unused subs:
Unused subs:
THE messages started long before Liverpool’s Club World Cup semi-final victory over Monterrey kicked off in Doha, around 4,500 miles away on board a Qatar Airways plane de-icing its wings on the tarmac of Manchester Airport.
First, there was an advert for the next World Cup, serving up nonsensical soundbites like ‘Let’s Unstoppable’ and ‘Let’s Yeah’ as soon as you made a selection from the entertainment system.
Another prominent commercial featured Neymar promoting QNB Bank, while David Beckham posted about making bread in Doha on Instagram.
Then there was an interview with Xavi — Spain and Barcelona legend turned manager of Doha-based Al Sadd — which was the focal point of the in-flight magazine.
“Qatar does not underestimate the privilege World Cup Qatar 2022™ represents and it has been carefully planning for the opening day ever since it was awarded this tournament,” he said, copyright and all, apparently.
“Everything has been organised with so much care.”
That last line can be called into question when it comes to the Khalifa International Stadium, where the neon lights, booming PA system and over-the-top dazzle can be a distraction from the dark truth.
There was no care when Zac Cox died here in January 2017 after falling 40 metres when a catwalk he was helping to install
KASPER Schmeichel was the hero for Leicester as the Foxes defeated Everton on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup — where they will meet Aston Villa — for the first time in 19 years.
In scenes reminiscent of Everton’s Premier League victory over Chelsea, interim manager Duncan Ferguson — Carlo Ancelotti is expected to take charge soon — hoisted a ball boy above his head in celebration after Leighton Baines drilled in a stunning 90th-minute equaliser to make it 2-2 at the end of normal time.
That completed a second-half comeback, with Tom Davies netcollapsed, his lever hoist equipment failing.
The coroner at the inquest to the 40-year-old’s death, Veronica Hamilton-Deeley, described the conditions the Briton had to work under as “chaotic, unprofessional, unthinking and downright dangerous”.
This semi-final could have been played at the Education City Stadium, but the venue was deemed not match ready and also carries its own tales of disregard for those toiling to deliver facilities for the 2022 showpiece.
Rupchandra Rumba, operating as a scaffolder at the ground for ting in the 70th minute after James Maddison and Northern Ireland’s Jonny Evans had scored in quick succession in the first half for Leicester.
Jordan Pickford’s stunning save from Maddison in the first action of the shoot-out had Everton fans dreaming of a perfect comeback but Schmeichel denied Cenk Tosun and, cruelly, Baines to put Leicester on the front foot.
It was left to Jamie Vardy to confidently convert the decisive spot-kick, giving Leicester a 4-2 victory in the shoot-out and maintaining manager Brendan Rodgers’ remarkable record of not having lost a domestic cup competition since April 2015.
With the game sold out and both managers naming strong two months, died while gasping for breath in a slum-like labour camp.
As with hundreds of other migrant workers who die in Qatar annually, the 24-year-old’s passing was put down to “acute cardio respiratory failure due to natural causes”.
Such deaths are not investigated and authorities do not usually carry out postmortem examinations. The most important messaging, then, is not from the flashy ads or advocacy from A-listers pocketing mega money and grandiose hospitality to be Team Qatar, but the unsaid. teams, Ferguson was looking for more of the atmosphere from that Chelsea game.
Things started well. A big roar greeted the entrance of the teams and a uncharacteristically-sloppy back header from Evans let in Richarlison in the fourth minute but, although he beat Schmeichel, he was eventually crowded out.
Maddison controlled Ricardo’s pass and curled a delicious finish into the far corner.
Then Ulsterman Evans had the freedom of the six-yard box to tap in Vardy’s flick-on from Maddison’s corner.
Hope arrived for the hosts in the 70th minute courtesy of Davies, who met Richarlison’s cross on the volley with enough force to beat Schmeichel despite the keeper getting a hand on it.
Moise Kean turned and crossed for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but he could not keep his header down.
With the match heading into injury time, the noise ramped up another level and Baines chose his moment perfectly to unleash a drive into the top corner for his first goal in more than two years.