Bitter loss but Reds are back
field even in the worst entanglements.
It was conclusive enough for almost all non-Madrid commentators to come as close as they dared to saying it was deliberate. From this vantage point, he crossed the line - and it worked. At a stroke, Liverpool’s star and main threat was taken out. Seldom can a big game have changed so dramatically.
To the apologists who say Ramos is a man to have on your side, I say, perhaps - in a dirty war. But football is only a game. Beautiful? If it’s not beautiful, it’s not worth playing. After all, if it’s not to entertain, what is the point?
Gareth Bale’s first goal was certainly a thing of beauty and has to be one of the greatest ever scored anywhere. Real may have won even if Salah had played 90 minutes, but now there’s a certain hollowness to their victory. They, too, have lost something – at least in the eyes of the rest of us.
Liverpool lost a final, yes, but by now they’ll realise they had an incredible season – way beyond expectations. And in Kiev, the back four held up well with Dejan Lovren and Andrew Robertson making last-ditch tackles of the highest class.
Sadio Mane was a gallant lone ranger up front but in the end, their lack of depth caught up with them and once Salah departed they had no chance – not with a bench that was no more than a rickety plank.
Klopp must finally admit defeat over the goalkeepers although what Karius experienced was not so much poor keeping as a meltdown. Now at least the debate is over – a new glove man is desperately needed.
And Liverpool fans have been given a timely pick-me-up with the news that Brazilian holding midfielder Fabinho has signed for what looks a bargain £40m (RM211m) from Monaco. With bids for other big names in the offing, there can be no doubt that the Reds are back in the big time and FSG mean to keep them there.
Yes, “moving on” and “coming back stronger” are the phrases you always hear after a disaster. And we’ve heard both plenty of times this week. We certainly hope that applies to both Salah and Karius, but the German surely cannot be first-choice for Liverpool again.
Although history is written by the victors and bad guys often win, there is a greater game going on here. It is called life. And being called “a cancer on the game”, as Ramos has been by many critics if not by Klopp, as some have claimed, suggests a lowest of low places for him in the greater scheme of things.
In contrast, Salah is reaching exalted levels. He has come to mean so much to so many – in the Middle East as well as on Merseyside – way beyond the touchline. Mumin Khan, CEO at Liverpool’s Abdullah Quilliam mosque, told The Independent: “He is an excellent role model who is breaking barriers about the negative perception of Muslims and Islam.”
Not only is he a superstar but he’s become a beacon of hope for improving relations between the faiths, winning hearts and minds with his humility, generosity and all-round decency.
Countless film crews and journalists made the pilgrimage to his village of Nagrig in Egypt on the eve of the game. As well as chronicling his rise from humble beginnings, all declared him a force for good.
Now, thanks to Ramos, his World Cup and the hopes of 100 million Egyptians hang by a thread. All this and Real Madrid are still celebrating with their skipper an apparently karma-free zone.
But let us end on a positive note. Despite all this, Liverpool looked like they belonged on the big stage and next season with Fabinho, Naby Keita and possibly Nabil Fekir, they’ll have a midfield to match the Fab Three. Yes, Kiev was a bitter night but all has not been lost.
* Bob’s latest book, Living the Dream, is available at all major book stores.